Secretary Of State Asks Michiganders To Report Their Neighbors For Election ‘Misinformation’

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is encouraging residents to report so-called “misinformation” from their neighbors ahead of November’s election.

“Misinformation about the election process, voter rights, or even an issue on the ballot is a serious threat to election security,” reads an online document from Benson’s office. “If you see misleading or inaccurate information regarding voting or elections in Michigan, please report it.”

The document requests residents email reports of election “misinformation” – with “an image if possible” – to misinformation@michigan.gov. Benson’s office solicits residents to report misinformation on its “voter education resources” page.

The Federalist asked Benson’s office who this email reaches and how the state responds to alleged “misinformation,” but her office did not comment in time for publication. 

Benson’s office published another document discussing this so-called election “misinformation,” calling it “the most potentially damaging threat to our democracy.” It blamed “partisans, grifters, and other opportunists here at home” for “hacking the minds of American citizens,” and called on residents to enforce the official narrative.

“Citizens can and should join this effort,” the document reads, “calling out misinformation when they see it and insisting that we hold people accountable for spreading lies about elections.”

For “trusted” information, Benson’s office refers residents to its own “fact check” page, FactCheck.org, PolitiFact, and Snopes. The latter three have shown their colors as leftist information gatekeepers.

Benson, a Democrat, launched a “Democracy Ambassador” program for residents last week, according to a press release. The state sends supposedly “nonpartisan facts and resources” to residents who join, and it encourages them to share these approved messages “within their communities” where they will “combat any election-related misinformation.”

Participants will “squash misinformation before it spreads,” Benson said in the press release.

The state’s “Democracy Ambassador” webpage says the program consists of three steps: sign up to receive approved information, share that information, and sign up to be a poll worker. 

Democrat Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel spoke to journalists last month, emphasizing “collaboration” between officials and the media in her effort to “eliminate misinformation from social media platforms.”

Meanwhile, Benson has come under fire recently for a host of election integrity failures.

Under “voting initiatives and resources,” Benson’s office directs residents to Vote411 – which, as The Federalist previously reported, feeds voter information to a leftist data harvesting scheme. The Federalist asked Benson’s office for comment on Vote411’s alleged data harvesting, but her office did not comment in time for publication. 

Benson also hosted David Becker of the Center for Election Innovation and Research at a press conference Monday. Alongside the Center for Tech and Civic Life, which gave at least $328 million in “Zuckbucks” in 2020, CEIR funneled $70 million from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to local election agencies, advancing voting practices that favor the left. 

In December last year, Benson issued a manual instructing clerks that absentee ballot signatures were entitled to a “presumption of validity.” A Michigan judge struck down the guidance as unconstitutional in a final order on Tuesday.

And in a demand letter to Benson in May, the Republican National Committee alleged that she failed to clean the voter rolls of 92,000 inactive registrants.

Logan Washburn is a staff writer covering election integrity. He graduated from Hillsdale College, served as Christopher Rufo’s editorial assistant, and has bylines in The Wall Street Journal, The Tennessean, and The Daily Caller. Logan is originally from Central Oregon but now lives in rural Michigan.

The Federalist