Michigan Secretary of State asks for investigation into reports of third party access to voting technology

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is requesting an investigation into allegations that an unauthorized third party was given access to voting technology in Roscommon County.

Benson asked the Michigan State Police and Attorney General’s Office to review reports that her office received this week about “at least one unnamed third party” gaining access to vote tabulator components and technology.

“Protecting the integrity and security of our elections, especially from those who use lies and misinformation to deceive Michigan voters, is a critical component of defending democracy in this moment,” Benson said in a statement. “Michigan law is clear about the security threats that emerge when anyone gains unauthorized access to our election machines or technology, and I will have no tolerance for those who seek to illegally tamper with our voting equipment.”

The tabulation machines and data drivers were used in Roscommon County and Richfield Township.

The equipment may now have to be replaced at taxpayer expense.

Benson said it’s a felony to “obtain undue possession” of a voting machine and to grant access to unauthorized parties.

Benson also sent a letter to all of the state’s municipalities, advising them on how to proceed if they become aware of an attempt by a third party to obtain access to voting technology.

Following the 2020 election, Rudolph Giuliani and other legal advisers to Trump urged an Antrim County prosecutor to hand over the county’s voting machines to the president’s campaign, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

In December 2020, a third party accessed the Dominion vote tabulators in Antrim County and used the data to falsely report election fraud. Although the report was widely debunked, it continues to be the source of baseless conspiracy theories about widespread election fraud spread by former President Donald Trump and his supporters.

Since then, Republican lawmakers in Michigan have introduced dozens of bills to curtail voting access.

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