 "Photo: Courtesy Jocelyn Benson")
Jocelyn Benson qualified for the Boston Marathon this past summer in Traverse City.
But the Wayne State law professor is readying herself for a political run after announcing her intention to seek the Democratic Party’s nomination for secretary of state in the 2010 election to replace Terri Lynn Land.
Benson decided to embark on this path after doing research for her upcoming book “Democracy and the Secretary: the Crucial Role of State Secretaries of State in Promoting Democracy.” As she said, it was the “impetus” for her decision.
“I certainly did not intend to run when I began writing the book,” Benson said. “[But] through doing that, and through the past decade of my life that I’ve spent working on election law and voting rights issues, I’ve come to believe that that office can be used for a lot of good and to really serve the voters of our state.”
Land is unable to run because of term limits. And Benson has seen the good and bad during the past 14 years of a Republican holding the office. Prior to Lynn-Land, the office was held by now U.S. House of Representative Candice Miller. One of the not so good things Benson saw was during this past election, when rumors circulated that residents whose homes were being foreclosed would not be allowed to vote.
“Secretaries in other states, like Ohio, came out the next day, issued a directive and said publicly ‘not in our state will any voter’s ineligibility be challenged based on if their homes are being foreclosed,’” Benson said. “And that’s something we didn’t see in Michigan.”
Benson went on to testify in Lansing before Congress, calling on the secretary of state to issue a similar directive. It wasn’t until a couple of weeks later that the Michigan Department of Elections released a smaller directive to its clerks.
“In my view, the secretary of state really is responsible for using that position to communicate to voters, to educate voters and to advocate for voters,” she said. “And that’s something I think we could see more of in Michigan.”
Benson harkened back to former Secretary of State Richard Austin (1971-1994), a Democrat, who led the way with Michigan’s Motor Voter Law, which allows people to register to vote when they get their license. She thinks that “we’ve lost some of that innovation over the past few decades.”
Some of Benson’s primary platforms are pushing for early voting and “no reason” absentee balloting as ways to step up voter participation.
Benson joined WSU’s faculty in 2005, after serving as a law clerk to Judge Damon J. Keith on the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. She speaks with Keith just about every day, getting personal advice. In fact, Keith is more than just a mentor. He performed Benson’s wedding ceremony a couple of years ago on Belle Isle, and she said he is a father figure to her.
“He’s a judge, so he stays out of politics,” Benson said. “But as a friend and father figure, he’s always on board with supporting a good effort to fight for equality and fairness. So, I’m happy to have his support.”
But should Benson receive the nod from her party, she will have the tough choice of stepping away from the classroom, where she teaches election law.
“If I get the nomination, I certainly would take a leave of absence to pour everything I’ve got into winning the general election,” she said. “I firmly believe that that’s what will be required of whoever the nominee is.”
And Benson will take her years at WSU with her, along with what she has learned.
“To me, running for secretary of state is simply an expansion of the service we do at Wayne State, a piece of what we’re all required to do as educators,” Benson said. “But I would certainly always consider Wayne State an ally and a home.
“I would always want to stay connected to Wayne State, in some way, and hopefully return here after the term of secretary of state is expired.”
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