Jocelyn Benson serves as Michigan’s Secretary of State and Chief Elections Officer.  She was elected Nov. 6, 2018, to a four-year term. Her focus for the Department of State is customer-service excellence, innovation, integrity and transparency, ensuring that all citizens have equal access to the participation necessary to sustain our democracy.

A national leader in election law, she is the author of State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process. It is the first major book on the role of the secretary of state in enforcing election and campaign finance laws. An expert on civil rights law, education law and election law, Benson served as dean of Wayne State University Law School in Detroit. When she was appointed dean at age 36, she became the youngest woman in U.S. history to lead a top-100, accredited law school. She continues to serve as vice chair of the advisory board for the Levin Center at Wayne Law, which she founded with former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin. She is also co-founder and former president of Military Spouses of Michigan, a network dedicated to providing support and services to military spouses and their children.