Ruth Johnson's office said it was legal for foreclosure lists to be used at polls by challengers in Oakland County to stop hard working Michigan families from voting. Johnson never contradicted or corrected this statement. Ruth Johnson's Oakland County Director of Elections told members of the media that is was acceptable for challengers to use those lists. Despite her claims that she did what she could to protect Michigan citizens, she cannot produce one piece of evidence from 2008 - a letter, a press release, a statement to the community, or any other proof - that Oakland County elections officials stepped forward to help citizens understand that their vote was safe. The fact is that Ruth Johnson didn't care to defend voters in Oakland County for purely partisan reasons. Her silence potentially suppressed Oakland County voter turnout and created a chilling effect in polling places for citizens that were afraid of being embarrassed in front of family and friends. At the same time as Johnson's office said it was legal to challenge voters at the polls because their homes were in foreclosure, Jocelyn Benson led the opposition, even testifying before Congress and demanding that Secretary Land ban such challenges.

Source: Michigan Messenger, 9/10/2008;
Oakland County Clerk's 2008 news release archive;
Johnson-Benson Debate with Tim Skubick, Off the Record;
Transcript of Jocelyn Benson's testimony before Congress;
Video of Jocelyn Benson's testimony before Congress;
Michigan Secretary of State's statement banning illegal use of foreclosure lists to challenge voters.

Ruth Johnson's campaign is funded by three primary groups - her own personal investments, corporate organizations, and partisan special interests. Ruth Johnson also took $10,000 from the PAC of a corporation that flagrantly violated campaign finance law in northern Michigan. In short, Ruth Johnson serves special and corporate special interests whenever it suits her.

Source: Johnson campaign finance reports filed with the Michigan Secretary of State;
Traverse City Record Eagle, 12/23/07.

Ruth Johnson accepted a $10,000 campaign contribution from the PAC of a corporation that violated campaign finance law in northern Michigan's Acme Township. She has refused to return the contribution. If we can't trust her judgment in accepting campaign donations, how can we trust her to be on our side?

Source: Traverse City Record Eagle, 12/23/07.

Ruth Johnson was the Oakland County chairwoman of John McCain's failed presidential effort in 2008. She decided it was okay to chair a partisan campaign, while serving as the top elections official in that county. Johnson has already accepted campaign contributions from GOP Presidential aspirant Mitt Romney, and may chair Romney's 2012 campaign run here in Michigan.

Source: Detroit Free Press, 10/14/10;
Johnson campaign finance reports filed with the Michigan Secretary of State.

Benson does not know, has never met, and has never spoken with George Soros. The Detroit Free Press called ties to George Soros "not supported by the evidence." In the Detroit Free Press' endorsement of Benson, the paper wrote that "Since winning her party's nod, [Johnson] has repeatedly insinuated that her opponent is sponsored by billionaire activist George Soros, an allegation not supported by the evidence." The Benson campaign has the financial support of nearly 3,000 hard working residents from nearly every Michigan county. Ruth Johnson's allegations are false, have no support, and are being used as a scare tactic by the Republican Party.

Source: Detroit Free Press, 10/17/10;
Benson campaign finance reports filed with the Michigan Secretary of State.

Jocelyn Benson had nothing to do with this incident. In fact, Benson first learned about this alleged scandal when it was reported in the press. She was the first major Democrat to call for an immediate investigation, and issued a written statement:

Detroit - Democratic candidate Jocelyn Benson said today, "As an election law expert and now as a candidate for Secretary of State, I have long stood against deceptive practices in the election process. Allegations that persons may have unlawfully attempted to place Tea Party candidates on the November ballot should be thoroughly investigated and if necessary, those persons should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. . . . As I have discussed with Michigan citizens nearly every day for the past several months, they deserve a Secretary of State who will take an Oath of Non-partisanship, as I have, and be a neutral judge of the election process."

Source: Benson Statement on Tea Party Ballot Issue (August 26, 2010).

This allegation apparently refers to a statement that appeared in a training manual produced by the state Democratic Party in Colorado. Benson had no connection to, let alone responsibility for, this incident. As the nonpartisan Michigan Truth Squad concluded: "The statement that Benson was involved in producing a manual urging people to lie about voter intimidation is flat-out false, both because the manual didn't urge lying, and she didn't write it."

Source: Michigan Truth Squad, 10/27/10.

As the Detroit Free Press concluded, "Benson prudently recognizes that efforts to make voting more convenient should be matched by additional measures to guarantee the integrity and security of the process. For example, she would support same-day voter registration only if Michigan mandated tougher identification requirements to prevent voter impersonation fraud."

Source: Detroit Free Press, 10/17/10.