JOCELYN BENSON

The first major election day following a year of relentless attacks on voting rights and election officials went off largely without a hitch.

Three women face voter fraud charges connected to the 2020 election in Michigan.

Texas has become the latest state where Republicans have rolled back access to voting methods that soared in popularity during last year’s pandemic presidential election.

Voting officials, who used to operate in relative anonymity, are facing threats and intense pressure as a large chunk of American voters have no confidence the system is fair.

State election officials say they are confronting a myriad of challenges heading into the 2022 midterm elections.

An attorney hired to lead a 2020 election lawsuit in Antrim County announced his run for Michigan attorney general.

A federal judge in Detroit is considering whether to order financial penalties and other sanctions against some of former President Donald Trump’s lawyers.

Michigan’s attorney general is investigating after a Republican-led state legislative committee said people are making baseless allegations about 2020 presidential election results in a northern Michigan county to raise money or publicity for their own ends.

AP Interview-Voting-Benson FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2020, file photo, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson speaks in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, file) (Paul Sancya)LANSING, Michigan — (AP) — Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson serves as the chief election official in Michigan, working alongside nearly 1,700 local officials who administer elections in the battleground state. In 2020, Benson was at the center of efforts to ensure a safe and secure election amid the COVID-19 outbreak. It also was the first major election in Michigan since voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2018 allowing no-excuse absentee voting. AP: How do you combat the disinformation still surrounding the 2020 election?

AP Interview-Voting-Benson FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2020, file photo, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson speaks in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, file) (Paul Sancya)LANSING, Michigan — (AP) — Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson serves as the chief election official in Michigan, working alongside nearly 1,700 local officials who administer elections in the battleground state. In 2020, Benson was at the center of efforts to ensure a safe and secure election amid the COVID-19 outbreak. It also was the first major election in Michigan since voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2018 allowing no-excuse absentee voting. AP: How do you combat the disinformation still surrounding the 2020 election?

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says politicians lying about fraud in the 2020 presidential election, Republican efforts to make voting more difficult and the continued spread of disinformation leave her deeply concerned about the future of American democracy.

Republicans in Florida, Georgia and other states have seized on former President Donald Trump's false claims of election fraud to push ID requirements for voters to request or return mailed ballots.

Democrats and Republicans both see the legislation, which touches on nearly every aspect of the electoral process, as fundamental to their parties’ political futures. Republicans charge the bill would strip power from the states and cement an unfair political advantage for Democrats. It would expand voting by mail, promote early voting and give states money to track absentee ballots. Some measures would limit mail voting, cut hours at polling places and impose restrictions that Democrats argue amount to the greatest assault on voting rights since the Jim Crow era. The bill has already run into roadblocks that have become familiar since Democrats began their narrow control of the Senate two months ago.

Democrats and Republicans both see the legislation, which touches on nearly every aspect of the electoral process, as fundamental to their parties’ political futures. Republicans charge the bill would strip power from the states and cement an unfair political advantage for Democrats. It would expand voting by mail, promote early voting and give states money to track absentee ballots. Some measures would limit mail voting, cut hours at polling places and impose restrictions that Democrats argue amount to the greatest assault on voting rights since the Jim Crow era. The bill has already run into roadblocks that have become familiar since Democrats began their narrow control of the Senate two months ago.

In one of the most striking instances, Wisconsin saw both a decline in rejection rate and the overall number of ballots tossed out. For instance, a GOP push in Georgia would eliminate no-excuse absentee voting, requiring people to give a reason. In nine, it found the mailed ballot rejection rate declined. Overall, about 0.34% of absentee ballots cast were rejected, compared with roughly 1% in the primary. Just over 15,000 ballots were rejected there in November, just shy of 0.5% of absentee ballots cast and down slightly from the primary.

Republicans in key states that voted for President-elect Joe Biden already are pushing for new restrictions, especially to absentee voting. President Donald Trump has been unrelenting in his attacks on mail voting as he continues to challenge the legitimacy of an election he lost. They are vowing to crack down on mail ballots and threatening to roll back other steps that have made it easier for people to vote. An estimated 108 million people voted before Election Day, either through early in-person voting or by mailing or dropping off absentee ballots. Previous elections have shown that voters appreciate mail voting, no matter their party affiliation.

Michigan Secretary of State preparing audits to affirm confidence in 2020 election Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is preparing to conduct multiple statewide audits of the 2020 election to affirm public confidence in its integrity. It comes as she and others face attacks from President Trump and his allies over unfounded claims of fraud. Secretary Benson joined "CBSN AM" to discuss.

It also comes as an increasing number of Republicans were publicly acknowledging Biden’s victory, after weeks of tolerating Trump’s baseless claims of fraud. The president had grown increasingly frustrated with the flailing tactics of his legal team. President-elect Biden won the State of Michigan by more than 154,000 votes, and he will be our next president on January 20th,” Michigan Gov. The campaign, in its filings, asked for urgent consideration so it could challenge the state election results before they are certified next month. Pennsylvania county election boards voted Monday, the state deadline, on whether to certify election results to the Department of State.

Then there is Georgia, where election officials did a high-profile audit of the presidential race as required by state law. It began when two Republican election board members of the district that includes majority-Black Detroit, voted to block a routine certification of the votes. At most, election officials have cited routine instances of human error or minor technical problems. Trump’s own election security agency declared the 2020 presidential election to have been the most secure in history. At this point it's unlikely that any audit in any state could uncover problems large enough to sway election results.

With a few reports of overly aggressive poll watchers, election officials said they were carefully balancing access with the need to minimize disruptions. Voting advocates noted the restrictions applied to both Republican and Democratic poll watchers. “There are specific rules in Pennsylvania about where poll watchers can stand and what they can do,” said Suzanne Almeida, interim director of Common Cause Pennsylvania. This is not about disadvantaging one party over another.”The number of poll watchers allowed at an election office varies. Also Thursday, a Michigan judge dismissed a Trump campaign lawsuit over whether enough Republican poll watchers had access to the handling of absentee ballots.

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH POLL WATCHERS? The campaign of President Donald Trump says Republican poll watchers are being improperly denied access to observe the counting of ballots. Tasked this year with monitoring a record number of mail ballots, partisan poll watchers are designated by a political party or campaign to report any concerns they may have. With a few reports of overly aggressive poll watchers, election officials said they were carefully balancing access with the need to minimize disruptions. Poll watchers have been a central element of legal battles that have erupted in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Nevada.

With a few reports of overly aggressive poll watchers, election officials said they were carefully balancing access with the need to minimize disruptions. Voting advocates noted the restrictions applied to both Republican and Democratic poll watchers. “There are specific rules in Pennsylvania about where poll watchers can stand and what they can do,” said Suzanne Almeida, interim director of Common Cause Pennsylvania. This is not about disadvantaging one party over another.”The number of poll watchers allowed at an election office varies. Also Thursday, a Michigan judge dismissed a Trump campaign lawsuit over whether enough Republican poll watchers had access to the handling of absentee ballots.

A family visits the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – Judges in Georgia and Michigan quickly dismissed Trump campaign lawsuits Thursday, undercutting a campaign legal strategy to attack the integrity of the voting process in states where the result could mean President Donald Trump’s defeat. “But we think there’ll be a lot of litigation because we can't have an election stolen like this,” Trump said. Campaign officials said earlier they were considering similar challenges in a dozen other counties around the state. Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller said additional legal action was expected and would be focused on giving campaign officials access to where ballots were being counted.

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)Maceo Rhodes, 34, talks with a Trump supporter at the counting center. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)A woman gives the thumbs down at the counting center. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)People wait to check in at the vote-counting center. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)An election worker tries to explain to election challengers that the center is at capacity. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Workers prepare mail-in ballots for counting, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, at the convention center in Lancaster, Pa., following Tuesday's election. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)If you need help with the Public File, call 407-291-6000.

Unlike in previous years, states were contending with an avalanche of mail ballots driven by the global pandemic. Every election, what’s reported on election night are unofficial results and the counting of votes extends past Election Day. This year, with so many mail ballots and close races in key states, counting every vote was expected to take more time. “These ballots were cast by tens of thousands of Michigan citizens who have the right to have their vote counted. Slowing the process down was the fact that local election officials could not begin processing and scanning ballots ahead of Election Day, as most states did.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said "I'm grateful for our sports partners in Detroit," Benson said Tuesday night at the home of the Detroit Lions. "They really led the way for sports teams across the country to play a critical role in providing the resources we needed to run the election successfully this year. “I'm grateful for our sports partners in Detroit," Benson said Tuesday night at the home of the Lions. “They really led the way for sports teams across the country to play a critical role in providing the resources we needed to run the election successfully this year. Meanwhile, many Major League Baseball and NHL teams also put their stadiums and arenas in play on Election Day.

FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 19, 2020, file photo, an election worker places a vote-by-mail ballot into an official ballot drop box outside of an early voting site, in Miami. Just days before the presidential election, millions of mail-in ballots have still not been returned in key battleground states. Many of those are due in county offices by Tuesday, Nov. 3, but the latest Postal Service delivery data suggests its too late for voters to drop their ballots in the mail. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

Just days before the presidential election, millions of mail-in ballots have still not been returned in key battleground states. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)ATLANTA – Just days before the presidential election, millions of mail ballots have yet to be returned in key battleground states, and election officials warn that time is running out for voters who want to avoid a polling place on Election Day. At least 35 million mail ballots had been returned or accepted as of early Wednesday, according to data collected by The Associated Press. That surpasses the 33.3 million total mail ballots returned during the 2016 election, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Yet an estimated 1.9 million ballots were still outstanding in Florida, along with 962,000 in Nevada, 850,000 in Michigan and 1 million in Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner opened a hotline that rings directly to his office's prosecutors, who will send detectives to investigate reports of voter suppression or intimidation. In Arizona, a coalition of voting rights groups has formed to dispatch volunteers trained to combat voter intimidation and misinformation efforts. Federal and state law enforcement officials are expanding preparations for the possibility of widespread unrest at the polls. In Michigan, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson issued a directive reminding state elections clerks that firearms cannot be openly carried at the polls. ___AP’s Advance Voting guide brings you the facts about voting early, by mail or absentee from each state: https://interactives.ap.org/advance-voting-2020

Postal Service records show delivery delays have persisted across the country as millions of Americans began voting by mail, raising the possibility of ballots being rejected because they arrive too late. Postal Service records show delivery delays have persisted across the country as millions of Americans are voting by mail, raising the possibility of ballots being rejected because they arrive too late. The agency also announced it will treat election mail as first-class, which had previously been an informal policy. Other battleground areas also showed problems in early October, with delivery rates of first-class mail below the national average. Postal delays also could compound existing issues that have cropped up in recent weeks as election officials manage the unpreceded surge in mail voting with deadlines looming.

Michigan's secretary of state on Friday banned the open carry of guns at polling places and other official voting locations on Election Day in the state, a move that comes on the heels of an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Earlier this month, federal authorities arrested six men in connection with allegedly plotting to kidnap Whitmer, with one of those defendants allegedly saying the group would try the governor for "treason." The alleged plot to kidnap Whitmer, and discussions about also kidnapping Virginia Gov. Whitmer and Nessel have said Trump's rhetoric could have played a role in sparking the alleged plot. Trump has continued attacking Whitmer for her policies even after the alleged kidnap plot was exposed.

Two conservative operatives were charged Thursday in connection with false robocalls that aimed to dissuade Black residents in Detroit and other Democratic-leaning U.S. cities from voting by mail, Michigan's attorney general announced. Nessel said her office would work with local law enforcement to secure their appearances, saying they could face arrest and extradition or could voluntarily travel to Michigan to face the charges. Nessel said the investigation found that Burkman and Wohl created and funded the robocalls to deter voters of color from participating in the November election. In Michigan, voters can cast an absentee ballot for any reason. A woman on the robocalls said she was part of Project 1559, a group founded by Wohl and Burkman.

He said it was "to avoid even the appearance of impact on election mail." Federal judges have since ordered the Postal Service to halt all changes, although the agency said it is exploring its legal options. On-time delivery in northern Ohio, which includes Cleveland, dipped to as low as 63% in July before rising to 88% by the end of August. On-time delivery declined to as low as 79% for the Philadelphia area and to 67% for the central part of the state. Earlier this year, the Philadelphia district averaged 84.5% on-time delivery, according to the quarterly data.

It could be even more pronounced in some urban areas where Democratic votes are concentrated and ballot rejection rates trended higher during this years primaries. Amy Campbell, a 26-year-old University of Pennsylvania medical student, had her ballot rejected for another reason: a missing signature. Vote-by-mail rejections could be of special concern to Democrats, who have seen a surge in absentee ballot applications this year. For its analysis, the AP also collected absentee ballot data from Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. All have had absentee ballots rejected at higher rates than white and more experienced mail-in voters.

The mail-in ballot deadlines are tight in the best of times. Georgia voters can request a ballot by mail until four days before the Nov. 3 election, with completed ballots due by 7 p.m. on Election Day. New Jersey ballots mailed on Election Day must be received within 48 hours of polls closing. Other states also are seeing conflicts between state officials and lawmakers over changing ballot deadlines. LaRose is urging voters to submit applications no later than Oct. 27, rather than waiting until the Saturday before Election Day.

FILE - In this May 28, 2020, file photo, mail-in primary election ballots are processed at the Chester County Voter Services office in West Chester, Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf's top election official said Friday, Aug. 14, that the administration had to take action after receiving a blunt warning from the U.S. Postal Service that it may be unable to deliver some mail-in ballots in the November presidential election by the deadline in state law. That warning precipitated Thursday night's filing in the state Supreme Court asking for an order to extend the deadline for mail-in ballots to be received in the Nov. 3 election when Pennsylvania will be a premier presidential battleground. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Postal Service of money in order to make it harder to process an expected surge of mail-in ballots, which he worries could cost him the election. He's pairing the tough Postal Service stance in congressional negotiations with an increasingly robust mail-in-voting legal fight in states that could decide the election. That followed legal maneuvers in battleground Pennsylvania, where the campaign hopes to force changes to how the state collects and counts mail-in ballots. That figure, which would include money to help with election mail, is down from a $25 billion plan in a House-passed coronavirus measure. Judy Beard, legislative and political director for the American Postal Workers Union, said postal workers are up to the task of delivering mail-in ballots this year.

FILE - In this July 31, 2020, file photo, letter carriers load mail trucks for deliveries at a U.S. Postal Service facility in McLean, Va. Postal Service. The Postal Service is bracing for an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. A spokesman for the Postal Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he walks to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, July 31, 2020, in Washington. Trump is en route to Florida. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON A shift to mail voting is increasing the chances that Americans will not know the winner of Novembers presidential race on election night. In an election as close as 2016s, a delayed tally in key states could keep news organizations from calling a winner. In some states, the ballots can be accepted several days after Election Day, as long as they are postmarked before polls closed. In Arizona in 2018, for example, Republican Martha McSally was narrowly winning the initial tally of in-person votes and mail ballots that had arrived days before Election Day. More than a week later, after election officials were able to tally all the mail votes that arrived on Election Day, Democrat Kyrsten Sinema won the senatorial race by more than 2 percentage points.

The League of Women Voters of Michigan and three voters sued in May, seeking a declaration that absentee ballots be counted as long as they are mailed on or before Election Day and are received within six days of the election. The plaintiffs, who will appeal to the state Supreme Court, pointed to voters' new constitutional rights to cast an absentee ballot without giving a reason 40 days before an election and to do it in person or by mail. It also said the deadline especially burdens undecided and late-deciding voters and said at least 11 states count ballots sent by Election Day. About 1.75% of ballots were not counted in the recent May local elections because they came in too late. A similar suit funded by Priorities USA, a powerful super PAC in Democratic politics is pending in the state Court of Claims.

ATLANTA If basketball icon LeBron James gets his way, NBA arenas and other sports venues around the country will be mega polling sites for the November general election. James and his voting rights group, formed this spring with other black athletes and entertainers, are joining with other professional basketball leaders and Michigans top elections official to push for mega voting sites to accommodate in-person balloting amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In Georgia, Fulton County elections officials this week approved the Atlanta Hawks proposal to use State Farm Arena as a polling site. Plans call for the arena to serve any Fulton County voters during early voting and on Election Day, Nov. 3. Voting rights advocates argued in federal court that the plan, part of culling voting sites statewide amid coronavirus concerns, would harm minority voters.

A person waits in line to vote in the Georgia's primary election at Park Tavern on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, in Atlanta. President Donald Trump is also fighting states' plans to expand voting by mail, raising repeated concerns with no evidence about voter fraud. Beyond lines, the mail voting boom has caused unprecedented reporting delays. Scott Walker, a Republican, said he's confident in the state's voting system and blames any issues on the incompetence of municipal election officials. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, said he's working to ensure Ohio has adequate poll workers.

DETROIT Joe Biden has hired a national director for voter protection, a role his campaign says will focus broadly on voter rights, including the disenfranchisement of people of color amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Martin, who has a strong background in voter protection work, previously worked as chief operating officer of the Democratic National Committee and the DNC's director of civic engagement and voter protection. The push for voter protection rights has only intensified in recent weeks, after some primary elections, including Milwaukee's on April 7, sparked concern that voters were forced to wait in long lines to cast their ballots. Voter protection will play a central role in Biden's overall election strategy, the campaign said, noting that several states over the past few years have passed laws relating to voter ID and purges of voter rolls that could make it harder for people to vote. Last year, Georgia made national headlines when it purged nearly 309,000 voter registrations from the states voting rolls.

President Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday to withhold funding from Michigan and Nevada for expanding their mail-in voting services in an effort to avoid crowded polling centers during the coronavirus pandemic. 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!" It's unclear what "funding" Trump is referring to. Shortly after that tweet, Trump unloaded on Nevada for expanding mail-in voting to carry out the state's congressional primaries on June 9.

As states have shifted to remote voting, following health officials recommendations on safety, Trump has denigrated the practice and sought to limit access. Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election, Trump tweeted Wednesday morning. It was not clear exactly what funds Trump was referencing, but the states are paying for the voting changes with federal aid intended to support elections during the pandemic. And even though Trump's campaign encourages absentee voting, along with several state Republican Party officials, GOP voters, like Trump, have expressed growing skepticism. Democrats noted Trump seems more concerned about mail-in voting in battleground states and has not threatened Republican-dominated states that are doing the same thing as Michigan.

DETROIT (Reuters) - Michigan will send absentee ballot applications to all registered voters, a state official announced on Tuesday, as the state prepares to hold the Nov. 3 election largely by mail due to the coronavirus outbreak. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, said 1.3 million permanent absentee voters are normally mailed an application before each election, but that would be extended to all 7.7 million Michigan voters. By mailing applications, we have ensured that no Michigander has to choose between their health and their right to vote, Benson, a Democrat, said in a statement. Voters will have to return an application by mail or email to receive a ballot to vote in the Aug. 4 state primary or the Nov. 3 general election. Conservatives including Trump have said that increasing use of voting by mail could increase the risk of fraud in elections.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said the step announced as the state continues to confront the coronavirus pandemic ensures no one has to to choose between their health and their right to vote. Her office mailed absentee ballot applications to voters in jurisdictions with local elections earlier this month, and there was record turnout.