CONGRESSMAN JOHN CONYERS ENDORSES JOCELYN BENSON FOR 2010 SECRETARY OF STATE RACE

DETROIT – Michigan Congressman John Conyers (D-Detroit) today endorsed Wayne State University professor and national election law expert Jocelyn Benson for Michigan Secretary of State, citing Benson’s impeccable qualifications and leadership ability as reasons to support her electoral bid.

“Jocelyn Benson has an unquenchable commitment and tireless passion for election reform that will benefit millions of Michigan citizens when she is elected Michigan Secretary of State,” Conyers said. “Her dedication to making true improvements to the office and working to ensure that every vote is counted in our state represents the real change we need in Lansing.”

Conyers, the nation’s longest-serving African-American Congressman and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said Benson’s efforts to reach out to voters throughout the state is reminiscent of another Democratic Secretary of State – Richard H. Austin.

“Not since Richard Austin have we had such a vocal proponent of both election reform and Secretary of State business office improvements that will make it much easier for all citizens to utilize its services seamlessly,” Conyers said. “I am proud to have such a qualified candidate willing to step up and represent the Democratic Party in 2010.”

Benson said she was honored to have Conyers’ support.

“I am absolutely humbled to have received Congressman Conyers endorsement for Michigan Secretary of State,” Benson said in response to Mr. Conyers’ endorsement. “His confidence in our campaign energizes me to work even harder to secure the trust of voters everywhere, and I vow not to let him down.”

When elected, Jocelyn Benson will work toward:
• Improving the Integrity of Elections
• Fighting Fraud and Deceptive Practices
• Improving Access to Branch Office Services
• Promote Uniformity and Fairness in Drivers Safety and Licensing

Benson, a resident of Detroit, is one of the leading election law experts and educators in the state of Michigan. She is a nationally recognized educator, attorney, and voter advocate dedicated to promoting access and protecting the integrity of the election process.

Prior to attending law school at Harvard, Benson lived in Montgomery, Alabama, the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement. She worked for the Southern Poverty Law Center as an investigative journalist, researching hate organizations. That work instilled her with a sense of responsibility for continuing the work of the voting rights advocates who risked their lives in Selma, Alabama, in order to ensure the one person, one vote promise in the Constitution became a reality.

During the 2004 Presidential election, Benson was hired to develop the first nationwide Election Protection program for the Democratic National Committee. Benson selected, recruited, and trained Voter Protection coordinators in 21 states. The program resulted in deployment of over 17,000 trained election law lawyers.

Since 2004, Benson has worked with Michigan Democratic Party’s election protection effort in 2006, and has developed and supervised two statewide nonpartisan election protection efforts in Michigan, in 2007 and 2008. During the 2008 election, she was called to testify before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, where she called on Secretary Land to ban the use of foreclosure lists to challenge voters’ eligibility on Election Day. She is a frequent commentator on voting rights and election law on several local news and radio broadcasts.

In 2007, Benson worked with several groups to successfully block the closure of a Secretary of State branch office in Buena Vista Township, Michigan. Based on her advocacy, the U.S. Department of Justice concluded that the closure of the office would violate the Voting Rights Act.

Benson is currently a full time Assistant Professor of Law at Wayne State University Law School, where she teaches Election Law. She is also an appointed member of the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Election Law. Being a member of the committee inspired her to create the Michigan Center on Election Law and Administration. The Center, incorporated in October 2008, seeks to work with local election administrators to promote innovations and improve the election administration process in Michigan. Benson stepped down from her position with the Center in February 2009.

Prior to her appointment as a Professor, Benson served as a law clerk to the Honorable Damon J. Keith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. From 2002 to 2004, she served as the Voting Rights Policy Coordinator of the Harvard Civil Rights Project, where she worked on the passage of the federal Help America Vote Act.

In March 2010, Benson’s book, Democracy and the State Secretary of State, will be published. The book highlights best practices of Secretaries from throughout the country and seeks to inform voters about how Secretaries of State from either side of the political spectrum can work to advance democracy and election reform.

For more information about Jocelyn, visit www.votebenson.com
 

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