LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Michigan House Oversight Committee delivered a subpoena to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson requesting unredacted election training materials Benson has refused to turn over.

A five month battle.

State Representative Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Township) said Benson has refused to turn over those materials over the past five months, despite repeated requests. These materials are available to every local clerk in the state.

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“For us as lawmakers to be able to properly legislate on election matters, it is imperative that we know how the executive branch and our local governing officials are conducting our elections,” DeBoyer said. “Our tasks as legislators often include crafting election policy, providing oversight on governing bodies within the other co-equal branches like the Secretary of State, and working to maintain a harmonious operation between our state and local governments.”

“No one is celebrating this subpoena.”

Speaker Pro Tem Rachelle Smit (R-Martin), a former election clerk and chair of the House Election Integrity Committee, called the issue of the subpoena “embarrassing.”

“No one is celebrating this subpoena,” Smit said. “The fact we even had to take this step is an embarrassing stain on the record of Secretary Benson and our election system as a whole.”

Smit also emphasized that the information they are requesting is not controversial, and with recent changes to election law, the committee wants to ensure there are no “gaps or errors” in clerk training. She added, “Yet, Secretary Benson and her office are waging a media war against my request to keep these documents hidden. I asked for training materials, not the login information for her password-protected campaign website.”

In addition, Smit said Benson’s blatant obstruction begs the question, “Is there something so damning in these training materials that Secretary Benson is willing to violate a subpoena over it?”

Benson’s response.

Benson’s office said it has offered to hand over redacted election training materials by the end of the month, but claims it does not want to jeopardize voter privacy or election security.

Benson, a democrat, is running for Michigan governor. She has until May 14 to provide the materials without redactions. Her office is willing to challenge the subpoena in court.