State Rep. Ann Bollin today joined the Michigan House of Representatives in voting to hold Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in civil contempt for refusing to comply with a legislative subpoena seeking election training materials provided to local clerks across the state.

The subpoena, issued by the House Oversight Committee, demanded the full release of training documents used by Benson’s office. Although the Secretary of State’s office released a portion of the materials, she continues to withhold key information — in direct defiance of the subpoena and the Legislature’s statutory authority.

“As a former clerk, I know how critical clear, lawful, and transparent guidance is for election officials,” said Bollin, R-Brighton Township. “Secretary Benson has a troubling history of issuing questionable directives to clerks — including rules that have been struck down in court. The House has every right to fully review these training materials to ensure they comply with the law and do not mislead or pressure local election officials.”

The House action comes after Rep. Rachelle Smit (R-Martin), chair of the House Election Integrity Committee, initially requested the materials. When the Secretary refused, the Oversight Committee issued a subpoena — which Benson has now ignored, citing vague concerns about the sensitivity of the documents.

“What is so secret about training documents?” Bollin asked. “Many of these training documents or similar documents are actually available on the Secretary of State’s website under the ‘election administrator’ tab. So, what is behind the cloak of secrecy in the e-learning center? The secrecy just leads me to believe that maybe there is something unlawful in that e-learning center. Maybe improper directives have been provided to the clerks, as we saw in previous court cases.

“Jocelyn Benson is a repeat offender in going against what the laws are here surrounding our elections in the state of Michigan,” Bollin said. “It has happened time and time again, and we need to stop it. It is a fundamental responsibility of our government to run elections, and the best way to make sure our elections are at the highest level of integrity is to make them more transparent.”

Under Michigan law, the Legislature has clear authority to compel the production of documents related to matters before its committees. Failure to do so constitutes contempt of the Legislature.