Remember the 30-minute guarantee?
No, not that old Dominos Pizza ad campaign. Much more recently, Jocelyn Benson, then a candidate for Secretary of State, offered voters a 30-minute guarantee of her own.
If you had business to do at the Secretary of State’s office, she’d get you in and out the door in 30 minutes or less. The pledge became a staple of her stump speeches and media appearances.
Unfortunately for voters, that was the last time her 30-minute pledge made an appearance of any kind. Just weeks ago, Benson announced she was closing branch office doors for walk-in business permanently.
Have business to do with the Secretary of State’s office? Take a number online. But here’s the catch – in communities across the state, residents can’t get an appointment for 2, 3 or even 4 months.
Freedom Fund Chairman Greg McNeilly writes in the Detroit News:
“We’re only a little over halfway through her term, and 30 minutes has turned into 132,480. Secretary of State Benson expects you to wait 4,400 times longer than candidate Benson promised. From appearing to care to apparently caring less is the Secretary of State’s new norm.”
Thankfully, Republicans in the state Legislature are working to require Benson to restore walk-in services at branch offices without an appointment. Contact Jocelyn Benson and demand she keep her 30-minute promise.
Tori Sachs
Why June 22? Why not today? Both are among questions Republicans and other critics are now raising after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the remaining state COVID restrictions will be lifted next week.“I mean, I’m glad we’re going to be opening eventually, but there’s no reason to wait five more days,” says Tori Sachs, a political strategist and executive director of the conservative Michigan Freedom Fund.
“Over 70% of Americans support voter ID laws and the additional legislation introduced today will ensure everyone has access to photo identification,” Executive Director Tori Sachs said in a statement. “These simple, pragmatic reforms will strengthen confidence in the security of our elections and make it easier for Michiganders to participate in everyday life.”
Emails obtained in response to an open records law request show the attorney general’s office was more involved than previously reported in Hackney’s arrest. The exchanges included discussions over monitoring social media posts and accounts, tracking complaints, and media strategies surrounding her case.The emails also reveal the Michigan State Police and attorney general’s office were monitoring not just Hackney’s social media activity but also that of her supporters.
