Terrible Idea Alert: Jocelyn Benson Supports DC Democrats’ Efforts to Politicize Election Commission
Secretary of State Testifies in Support of S.1, Tells Senators She Backs Changing Independent Federal Election Commission into Partisan Political Body
LANSING, MI, March 24, 2021 – The Michigan Freedom Fund today condemned Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s testimony in support of the unconstitutional and corrosive S. 1, which seeks to strip the states, including Michigan, of their ability to conduct their own elections. During her testimony, Benson also enthusiastically supported a move to explicitly politicize federal elections.
Benson, testifying today before the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, told Senators she favored changing the independent Federal Election Commission into a partisan political body explicitly controlled by Republicans or Democrats.
“Jocelyn Benson has talked for years about the importance of nonpartisanship in elections but abandoned the approach today to back a brazen partisan power grab,” said Tony Daunt, Executive Director of the Michigan Freedom Fund. “Jocelyn Benson’s push to politicize the independent Federal Elections Commission is a terrible idea. And it wasn’t the only one she had today. S. 1 and H.R. 1 would, among numerous other reckless ideas, enable ballot harvesting, compel states to allow felons to vote, and undermine freedom of speech.
“Michiganians expect their elections to be clean, fair, and honest, and to be governed and administered by their local elected officials, not Washington, D.C. One would think the Secretary of State would jealously guard the important role that our states have in administering our elections but apparently for Jocelyn Benson, virtue signaling to the radical Left is more important than standing up for Michigan.
“Putting the non-partisan FEC in the hands of partisan activists would further erode trust in our elections and be a disaster for fair elections and it would devastate public trust in the process.”
Benson’s testimony in support for the partisan politicization of the non-partisan FEC came in response to a question from Senator Shelley Moore Capito, and can be viewed online.
WATCH ➡️ I asked all five witnesses at today’s so-called “For the People Act” hearing if changing the nonpartisan @FEC to a majority-ruled commission was really a good idea, as the bill requires.
Politicizing the independent agency that oversees our elections is just wrong. pic.twitter.com/vxiz2cGa6P
— Shelley Moore Capito (@SenCapito) March 24, 2021
The FEC is the independent regulatory agency charged with administering and enforcing the federal campaign finance law. The FEC has jurisdiction over the financing of campaigns for the U.S. House, Senate, Presidency and Vice Presidency.
The Commission was created to promote confidence and participation in the democratic process.
###
