Secretary Benson statement on House passage of legislation to improve election security in Michigan

Secretary Benson banner FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nov. 1, 2023 Contact: Cheri Hardmon (517) 643-7236 Secretary Benson statement on House passage of legislation to improve election security in Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson today made the following statement regarding House passage of House Bills 4129 and 4130 strengthening penalties for threatening election workers and House Bills 5141, 5142, 5143, 5144, and 5145 regarding artificial intelligence in campaign or election-related communications: “We must protect the people who protect democracy. I'm grateful to the Michigan House for passing bills that will establish critical protections for our elections, election workers, and voters around the state as we head into the 2024 presidential election. The Legislature's vote to strengthen penalties for those who threaten or harass election workers in particular will put us in a strong position to ensure the safety and security of election officials across our state. “I'm also glad to see bills passed today that address the impact of artificial intelligence on our political discourse and election security. These new regulations establish necessary disclosure requirements for candidates or groups that use AI in their election communications and set criminal penalties for those who use AI to intentionally deceive Michigan voters about elections. I will continue to work with our partners at the state and federal level to make sure we do everything possible to protect voters from foreign or domestic attempts to utilize AI to interfere in our elections. “I'm hopeful the Senate will similarly support these common-sense pro-democracy measures before adjourning for the year, and I look forward to working with law enforcement and election officials throughout the state to implement them in time for next year's presidential elections.” # # # Manage Subscriptions | Unsubscribe All | Help STAY CONNECTED: Visit us on Facebook Visit us on Twitter Visit us on YouTube Sign up for email updates This email was sent to cb31450@gmail.com using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Michigan Secretary of State · 430 W. Allegan Street · Lansing, MI 48918 · 1-888-767-6424