LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson testified Wednesday morning in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.
It was in support of the For the People Act and the need to preserve access to voting, a news release said.
“While states will always serve as laboratories of democracy, federal minimum standards ensure equal protection of every citizen’s right to vote and can prevent attacks on our democracy, both foreign and domestic, that take advantage of the uneven patchwork of state laws throughout our country,” Benson said. “This is particularly important when state lawmakers, as we are seeing now, choose party over country and pursue legislation that makes it harder for everyone to vote.”
Benson told lawmakers about the November 2020 election in Michigan, which saw a record 5.5 million voters cast ballots and more than 3 million vote absentee.
She also emphasized the importance of citizen-led voting reforms passed in 2018 that made those results possible.
The For the People Act would codify many of those reforms on a national level and safeguard against current and future attempts at voter suppression, Benson said.
“History instructs – and the current moment demands – that the United States government once again step in and defend democracy against the reprehensible rollback of the right to vote that is sweeping our state legislatures,” Benson said. “This legislation is our best chance to stop this rollback and ensure the voice and vote of every citizen – no matter where they live or who they work for – is protected.”
SEE MORE: WATCH: SOS Benson holds news conference on elections legislative agenda
