Michigan Secretary of State Spreads False Data While Accusing Elon Musk Of Sharing ‘Disinformation’
When Elon Musk asked Democrat Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson about the state’s swollen voter rolls, she tried to debunk his claim — using false data.
“Michigan has more registered voters than eligible citizens!? Is that true @CommunityNotes?” Musk asked on Oct. 19.
“Let’s be clear: @elonmusk is spreading dangerous disinformation,” Benson replied. “Musk is pushing a misleading number that includes 1.2 million inactive records slated for removal in accordance with the law.”
She took an apparent victory lap, stopping by CNN to discuss “our work to empower every American to see through the noise and know the truth about our elections.”
The exchange between Musk and Benson went on for several days.
“Are you removing the ineligible voters before the election? YES or NO,” Musk replied to Benson on Oct. 21. The secretary responded with information from her office’s website, claiming the state maintains voter rolls as necessary.
While initially responding to Musk, Benson claimed Michigan has 7.9 million “citizens of voting age.” But Tom Fitton, president of conservative watchdog Judicial Watch, pointed out this is false.
Benson apparently posted the voting age population — which includes all adults, not just citizens — as citizens of voting age. According to census data, the state only had 7.63 million citizens of voting age as of 2022.
And while Benson emphasized the state has 7.2 million “active” registered voters while responding to Musk, the state has 8.44 million total registered voters, according to the secretary’s own website. So considering Michigan has 7.63 million citizens of voting age, but 8.44 million registered voters, the state’s registrations are 110 percent of those eligible to vote.
Benson also claimed that 1.2 million inactive records are slated for removal. But Angela Benander, Benson’s director of communications, recently told Bridge Michigan that 606,800 inactive registrations were slated to be removed by 2027. And the number on Benson’s website is even fewer — slightly less than 597,000 total, between registrations set to be removed in 2025 and 2027. This webpage includes the “total number of inactive voter registrations to be cancelled in future years.”
Either way, these efforts to clean the rolls would still not fully reconcile Michigan’s number of registered voters — 8.44 million — with the apparent citizens of voting age population — 7.63 million. But when Benson cited the voting age population, falsely claiming it was citizens of voting age, she made the state seem closer to reconciling its bloated voter rolls than in reality.
So when Benson claimed Musk was spreading “disinformation” for asking a question, she was apparently spreading “disinformation.”
Margot Cleveland, senior legal correspondent for The Federalist, posted on X Tuesday that the exchange between Musk and Benson will allow the truth to prevail.
“Truth will rise from X above ashes of legacy media — and a free people seeking truth are better for it,” Cleveland wrote.
As The Federalist previously wrote, Benson had asked residents to report others to the government for “misinformation.” The secretary has lost multiple lawsuits to the Republican National Committee for issuing misleading election guidance to local clerks.
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.
