By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says state audits of the 2020 general election show it was secure and reflected the will of voters.

Benson announced the statewide audit results for the November 3rd election during a press conference Tuesday – saying 250 audits that were conducted by more than 1,300 Republican, Democrat and nonpartisan clerks, as well as the state Bureau of Elections, across the state. She said local clerks checked numbers by comparing the hand-count total of paper ballots to machine-tabulated numbers and also examined post-election procedures.

Benson said clerks delivered on providing timely results during an election marked with difficulty due to changes in voting laws and a pandemic. She said clerks then had more work as baseless conspiracy theories were spread by former President Donald Trump and his supporters.

Benson said over the past several months, clerks stood strong and worked across party lines to fairly and ethically audit each other's election procedures and outcomes. After the state legislature provided insufficient time to process absentee ballots prior to Election Day, Benson said clerks set up shifts to process and count them round the clock after the polls closed. She said the result was that 24-hours after the polls closed, far more quickly than expected, all valid ballots had been counted and the results announced. Unfortunately, Benson said clerks still weren’t allowed to celebrate or rest as their work was immediately attacked by the lies, meritless conspiracy theories and un-informed observation of the former president and his supporters.

Benson said “We’ve responded to every question and claim and the evidence is clear. It is time for leaders across the political spectrum to tell their constituents the truth, that our election was the most secure in history, and the results accurately reflect the will of Michigan’s voters.”

The Bureau of Elections is drafting a final report on audit findings, which will be made available publicly.

Meanwhile, Benson announced her legislative agenda for elections last month. In addition to calling for two weeks for election officials to process ballots before Election Day, and an additional week to canvass afterwards, she proposed changing the law that prevents precincts that are out of balance without explanation from being recounted. Michigan is one of the only states in the country with such a restriction in place.

More information is available in an attached press release.