Jocelyn Benson

Jocelyn Benson is a Democratic Michigan Secretary of State, serving statewide since 2019 as the 43rd person in the role. She is recognized for advancing secure and accessible elections, including record turnout in 2020 and 2022.

Jocelyn Benson, a longtime Detroit resident, was elected Michigan's Secretary of State in 2018, becoming the first Democrat in the office since 1995. A civil rights advocate and military spouse, she transformed the state's motor vehicle services into a national model for efficiency by eliminating wait times and adding over 150 self-service stations. Benson oversaw Michigan's 2020 and 2022 elections amid threats, implementing absentee voting rights, conducting over 250 post-election audits, and earning the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award and Presidential Citizens Medal. She authored State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process, founded the Levin Center at Wayne State Law with Sen. Carl Levin, co-founded Military Spouses of Michigan, and was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame in 2015.

Education and Political Experience

• Education: Wellesley College , Oxford University , Harvard Law School .
• Political Experience: Expert in election, civil rights, and education law; youngest woman in U.S. history to lead a top-100 law school as dean of Wayne State University Law School at age 36; associate director of Wayne Law’s Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights; founder of Michigan Center for Election Law; led nonpartisan election protection efforts, including blocking unlawful voter challenges in 2008; CEO of Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality .