Michigan Secretary Of State Refuses To Tell Congress Whether Dead People Are On Voter Rolls
In a hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., asked Democrat Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson if there are dead people on the state’s voter rolls, and she would not answer yes or no.
“Why the hell are deceased people still on your voter rolls?” Murphy asked. “Do you have deceased people on your voter rolls, yes or no?”
“We do everything we can, and just like every other state, to remove — ” Benson said.
“Should a deceased person be on your voter roll?” Murphy insisted.
“No, and that’s why we remove them once we receive information,” Benson replied.
Murphy was one of several legislators who questioned secretaries of state on election integrity during a Committee on House Administration hearing Wednesday morning. His questions to Benson about dead people registered to vote in Michigan brought incomplete, indirect answers.
He brought up a lawsuit by the Public Interest Legal Foundation, which alleged that as of 2021, there were close to 26,000 dead voters on Michigan’s voter rolls. The group claimed Benson did not contest that the dead voters were registered and said she was not taking adequate steps to remove them.
“Why does it take a lawsuit by the Public Interest Legal Foundation to sue you to get those people off the voter rolls?” Murphy asked Benson.
“That lawsuit was dismissed,” Benson replied.
A district judge ruled Benson was performing ongoing list maintenance and tossed out the case, as The Federalist previously reported. But PILF appealed the case to the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, saying the court never fully determined Benson was making a “reasonable effort” to remove dead voters from the rolls.
‘Bidenbucks’
Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., also asked Benson about Michigan’s work with President Joe Biden’s Small Business Administration to “get out the vote” as part of the federal “Bidenbucks” program, which targets left-leaning groups like college students and American Indians, as The Federalist previously reported.
Biden signed his “Executive Order On Promoting Access To Voting” in 2021, making federal agencies work with so-called “approved, nonpartisan third-party organizations” to register voters.
This federal program has taken the name “Bidenbucks” — perhaps now “KamalaCash” — for its resemblance to the “Zuckbucks” program of 2020, which funneled millions from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to private officials through leftist groups, boosting Democrat turnout.
Benson has signed a memorandum of agreement with Biden’s SBA to register voters. She confirmed during the hearing that Michigan was the only state in which this type of agreement took place. Each federal agency, including the SBA, was required to assemble and execute a “strategic plan” under the “Bidenbucks” order.
“The Small Business Administration entered into an MOU with the state of Michigan, and they’re doing that under the direction and under the strategy of a strategic plan,” Steil said.
He asked Benson if she had seen the plan.
“I’ve seen the MOU between the SBA and our office,” Benson replied.
“Did you see the Small Business Administration strategic plan?” Steil insisted, as Benson interrupted, “We did one thing.”
“Just, did you see the strategic plan? Have you reviewed it? Have you read it? Did you provide input into it?” Steil insisted. Benson denied providing input.
“We provided under the boundaries of the MOU a URL to the SBA, so that they could register voters through their website,” Benson said.
“Just, have you seen the Small Business Administration strategic plan?” Steil repeated.
Benson finally denied this: “I said no.” Steil asked her to confirm the answer, and she retorted that he was “barraging” her with questions.
Steil said Congress has been seeking federal agencies’ strategic plans regarding the “Bidenbucks” order, but agencies have been stonewalling legislators.
“These agencies are using our taxpayer dollars to put forward a partisan get-out-the-vote effort, and they won’t provide the strategic plan,” Steil said. “This administration, the Biden administration, continues to hide their strategic plan from every taxpayer in this country, and I think that does not encourage people to have more confidence in their elections.”
Murphy also asked Benson about her office’s work with Biden’s Department of Veteran Affairs.
“You’re aware that the VA by executive order is enrolling people, correct, in your state?” Murphy asked. Benson confirmed this.
The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project published documents yesterday showing Michigan’s executive branch is working with the VA to register voters in Saginaw County and Detroit, which is Wayne County. Biden won both counties in 2020.
Murphy said the VA’s Michigan voter outreach programs are targeting Democrat districts, which Benson denied: “It’s a website, so it is available to everybody.” The state offers online voter registration, which requires affirmation but not proof of citizenship.
“This is where the angst and the anger comes from, because this administration has said, ‘Oh, yeah, we’re doing transparent things,’ but we’re not doing transparent things,” Murphy said. “It is absolutely for Democrats. It is absolutely to try to change elections.”
Denying Voter ID
Steil asked New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, if she thought requiring voter identification could boost public confidence in elections.
“Would photo ID increase Americans’ confidence in their elections, yes or no?” Steil asked.
“Mr. Ranking Member, I don’t believe so,” Toulouse Oliver replied.
“You don’t believe that having an individual show their photo ID, saying they are who they say they are, increases confidence in our elections?” Steil asked.
“Mr. Chairman, you asked me a yes or no question. I don’t think that’s a magic bullet,” Toulouse Oliver said.
“I’m not asking if it’s a magic bullet,” Steil replied, before asking Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, the same question.
“100 percent, Mr. Chairman, and it’s vastly popular among both Republicans and Democrats,” LaRose said.
Murphy asked Toulouse Oliver why she would not embrace voter ID.
“We do have voter ID in New Mexico; we just have a variety of different ways that voters can confirm their identity,” she replied.
But according to her own office’s website, “You do not have to present identification to vote in a statewide election.” One must only show ID when registering to vote for the first time, and acceptable forms include a utility bill, paycheck, or student ID.
“It’s B.S. to think it is suppressing the vote. B.S. B.S. And the only other reason that people would want that is so that people could vote who are not eligible to vote,” Murphy said. “This is where the angst comes from. It comes from lack of transparency. It comes from smugness. It comes from the fact this administration is doing everything it can to push one particular narrative into a one-party state.”
For more election news and updates, visit electionbriefing.com.
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.
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