Michigan House sues Jocelyn Benson over election training material request

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(FOX 2) - The Michigan House of Representatives has sued the Secretary of State, ratcheting up a fight that has been brewing between the two parties for months.

The escalating feud follows a previous vote by Republican lawmakers holding Jocelyn Benson in contempt for withholding election training materials that conservatives requested she give to them.

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The Michigan State House has filed a lawsuit against Jocelyn Benson, arguing the state official had repeatedly ignored requests from lawmakers to hand over election training materials.

"It is time the Secretary of State cooperates with the legislature to ensure our elections are conducted properly," Michigan House Republicans wrote on social media. 

Republican lawmakers have argued Benson has stonewalled efforts to obtain the materials the Secretary of State has disseminated to clerks for running Michigan's elections. 

Benson says she has pubically shared thousands of pages of training materials, posting them on the department's website. In May, she slammed the lawmakers by claiming their governance was "rooted in bullying and chaos."

Hours before making the statement, the conservatives voted on a resolution holding Benson in contempt. 

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Republican state representatives have complained for months that election training materials should be public.

In March, Rep. Rachelle Smit (R-Martin) argued her office's request wasn't for "state secrets; they are the simple training materials and guidance used to give clerks clarity on election law and election processes."

Since then, Michigan Republicans have threatened to impeach Benson, issued subpoenas for election training documents through the oversight committee, and railed against the official for not being transparent. 

In response, Benson argued mistrust in Michigan's election systems stems from investigations like the one conservatives are pushing.

"This is dangerous governance because this rhetoric, this cruelty, this lying, will directly influence people to harm hardworking state and local election officials who are simply trying to do their job," she told media on May 23. 

A day prior, State Rep. Jay DeBoyer decried Benson's "flagrantly illegal behavior."

"She believes, or at least purports to believe, that to inform legislators on how she trains local clerks would endanger the integrity of our elections. Of the many preposterous claims Benson has made while in office, this is perhaps the most alarming and openly hostile to our constitutional system of government," he said in May. 

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Amid the brewing feud, Benson promised to see House Republicans in court over the case.

On Thursday, the Republican-led chamber filed a suit in the Michigan Court of Claims, arguing Benson had broken the law.

"Benson's illegal defiance now brings us to the courtroom, where we will hold her office accountable to the people of Michigan," DeBoyer said.

A statement issued through her spokesperson said Benson was "glad they have finally acted accordingly."

"Let’s be clear - the Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee is demanding information that could be used to interrupt the chain of custody of ballots, tamper with election equipment or impersonate a clerk on Election Day," Cheri Hardmon said.