From Sarah Rahal at The Detroit News:
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson visited Detroit’s City Council Tuesday to advocate for early voting and keep officials on alert about possible deceitful tactics as the state heads “into one of the most consequential elections in our state and country’s history,” she said.
Benson visited City Council during its last formal session of the year to encourage the politicians to educate residents on early voting and spotting misinformation, especially amid developing artificial intelligence use.
Benson, a Democrat, said she has been a proud resident of Detroit for two decades and is working to “protect city residents from what we know will be an effort to confuse and make unclear their voting rights as we head into this consequential election season.”
She said “traditional lies and deceitful tactics” targeting Detroit voters will be amplified to a greater extent next year when there will be three statewide elections coupled with the advent of artificial intelligence.
“Thankfully, our legislators have passed legislation to help us combat the impact of AI but we also know that individuals who don’t want people to vote or want people to be confused about their votes and rights now have access to this new technology that could be amplified and used through social media to confuse people about what politicians are saying through deep fakes and other types of misinformation,” Benson said. “In Michigan, the legislature passed earlier this month information to require disclaimers and criminalize the deceptive use of deep fakes to confuse voters, but working to spot those is just as critical as educating voters about what to do when they occur.”
Benson said she is concerned about misinformation being spread about long voting lines, closed polling stations or potential violence at polling sites.
As a result, her office has launched a statewide Voter Confidence Council and 10 Voter Confidence Committees across the state, including one focused on Detroit. Starting in January, the committees will provide community leaders with information to distribute education to citizens on how to vote early and how to spot misinformation.
Benson’s visit comes a day after a divided federal appeals court ruled Monday that private individuals and groups such as the NAACP cannot sue under a key section of the federal Voting Rights Act. The decision contradicts decades of precedent and could further erode protections under the landmark 1965 law.
“The federal court issued what was one of the most devastating decisions about the Federal Voting Rights Act that we’ve ever seen,” said Benson, who got her start in Montgomery, Alabama, investigating hate crimes around the country. “What I saw firsthand there is how real the challenges are still for citizens who simply want to ensure they have that right to vote protected and preserved.”
In Michigan, Benson said, there have been efforts not just to deter people from voting, but to confuse them enough about their voting rights that they give up all together.
“Through misinformation and lies about when to vote and what could happen if you do vote early or vote absentee… there have been time and time again in every election efforts to confuse Detroit, voters, about their rights and about their ability to vote,” Benson said.
In 2022, Michigan voters amended the state’s constitution to create nine days of early voting. Benson asked the nine members of Detroit’s City Council to proactively work with City Clerk Janice Winfrey on educating residents ahead of the three elections next year in February, August and November.
“I’m here to ask for your help… We have a lot of work to do to ensure every citizen in this city and state knows about their options to vote and we do it ahead of time,” Benson said. “As we get closer to November we are going to see an onslaught of efforts to confuse citizens about what’s at stake, their rights and their ability to vote. We see this in every election.”
Benson said in 2020, her office tracked robocalls that stated, “‘If you vote by mail and you have a warrant for your arrest, that may cause complications’ and other things that instill fear about their right to vote absentee. We want to make sure no one confuses Detroit voters in 2024.”
The Michigan Secretary of State opened a new office on Warren Avenue and St. Antoine last year.
At Large Councilwoman Mary Waters questioned walk-in availability for senior citizens. Benson responded that the offices are walk-in available and they’ve launched a mobile unit that visits senior centers.
“My goal is that every senior center in this state will have one day every other month with a mobile branch visit to help with everything from title transfers to new IDs,” Benson said. “We have one just dedicated to Southeast Michigan also going to homeless centers and meet people where they are.”
srahal@detroitnews.com