Trump Blasts Michigan SOS Benson After Ballot Error
MICHIGAN — Criticism between President Donald Trump and officials in the state of Michigan continued Thursday as the president lashed out at Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson following an issue with incorrectly printed ballots.
"The Democrat Trump Hater Secretary of State of Michigan, purposely misprinted Ballots for the Military, putting the wrong names on the Ballot," Trump posted on Twitter.
"This was not a mistake, it was done illegally and on purpose."
The Democrat Trump Hater Secretary of State of Michigan, purposely misprinted Ballots for the Military, putting the wrong names on the Ballot, and actually listing a member of another party as a replacement for Vice President @Mike_Pence. Everybody is totally confused by their...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 17, 2020
Trump's tweet is in reference to a recent issue in which the Michigan Secretary of State's Office said about 400 ballots were downloaded by local election clerks with candidates for Vice President listed incorrectly. The ballots were for registered voters who live abroad or serve in the military.
The Secretary of State office said the issue was the result of an isolated human error and that it would not happen again. Benson was quick to respond to the president's attack on Twitter.
"Once again you're wrong," Benson tweeted. "This was an unintended computer glitch that was caught & quickly corrected. Suggesting otherwise is false & misleading. Impacted voters immediately received an accurate ballot & guidance to ensure their vote counts. And my name, again, is @JocelynBenson."
Once again you're wrong. This was an unintended computer glitch that was caught & quickly corrected. Suggesting otherwise is false & misleading. Impacted voters immediately received an accurate ballot & guidance to ensure their vote counts. And my name, again, is @JocelynBenson. https://t.co/qmlPusZEwi
— Jocelyn Benson (@JocelynBenson) September 17, 2020
Benson's office said it was unclear how many of those ballots were sent to voters, but clerks were instructed to immediately alert voters of the error and send a corrected ballot.
Voters who use the incorrect ballots instead of corrected ballots will still have their vote counted.
Benson and Trump have had a frequent back-and-forth of criticism. In May, Trump threatened to cut coronavirus pandemic funding to Michigan after Benson announced a plan to send applications for absentee ballots to all Michiganders who are registered to vote.
Related: 'False': MI SOS Responds After Trump Tweet On Absentee Ballots
Once again, Trump said the move involved intentional misleading on the part of Benson, who disagreed.
"This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State," Trump tweeted. "I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!.."
"The Bureau of Elections is mailing absent voter applications, not ballots," Benson said in a statement. "Applications are mailed nearly every election cycle by both major parties and countless advocacy and nonpartisan organizations. Just like them, we have full authority to mail applications to ensure voters know they have the right to vote safely by mail."
This article originally appeared on the Detroit Patch
