U.S. election officials see potential violence and disruptions as the biggest threats to the November midterm elections, with misinformation fueling that concern, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said on Sunday.
Benson, a Democrat, said election officials from both parties are working with law enforcement to protect the november 8 election and make it clear that there will be consequences for those who try to interfere.
“We’re even better prepared this year in many ways than we’ve ever been before,” she said on CBS’s Face the Nation.
Michigan, a swing state, has become the center of several rumored election-related criminal cases in recent years.
In the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, alleged militiamen were arrested for plotting to kidnap Michigan Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer. Two of the thirteen suspects were convicted in August.
Earlier this year, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, also a Democrat, launched an investigation into alleged illegal violations of voting tables.
The investigation followed breaches of local election systems by Republican officials and activists who sought to prove former president Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
Authorities in Michigan are currently investigating how a piece of the state voting machine recently surfaced for sale on eBay, Benson said on Sunday, adding it may have been accidentally thrown away.
About the author: Rick Culpepper
Rick Culpepper is of those journalists who dig the topic to the very bottom. He is often late with the delivery of the piece, but always does it perfectly. In his spare time, he collects data for one of the most high-profile investigations of corruption in the EU.
