Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson Wednesday rejected President Donald Trump's contention that the state "illegally" sent out absentee ballots to millions of voters, pointing out that the right to vote by mail was added to the state's Constitution by voter approval in November 2018.
She also pointed out to Chuck Todd and Katy Tur on "MSNBC Live" that the state had sent out applications, not ballots themselves.
“Well, every Michigan citizen has a right to vote by mail," Benson said. "I have a responsibility, as the chief election officer for the state of Michigan, to ensure everyone knows how to exercise their right to vote and all the options available to them to ensure that happens.”
Trump threatened on Twitter Wednesday to hold up coronavirus relief money for Michigan, claiming the state had sent out absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of the primaries and general election. He also called Benson a "rogue Secretary of State" and accused the state of going down a "Voter Fraud path."
"First, we do take voter fraud very seriously in our state, and we do prosecute it when we find it, as we have done, as I have done throughout my career," Benson responded. "But, in addition to that, we have to note that voting by mail is safe and is secure. It's been done by millions of voters for decades in states throughout our country, including in Michigan."
What's new this year is the constitutional right for citizens to vote by mail, and state leaders are working to make sure they know how to securely exercise that right, said Benson.
"Protecting the ability for them to sign the signature outside the ballot when they return their ballots by mail is how we will do that, to ensure those signatures match their voter registration forms," said Benson, adding that she considers Trump's comments a "red herring," or a distraction.
"Vote by mail is secure," said Benson. "It's been done securely for decades, and we're focused on making sure it continues to be secure here in our state.”
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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