Jocelyn Benson said the protesters arrived just after she and her 4-year-old son finished decorating for Christmas and made „unambiguous, loud and threatening“ demands.
Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says armed protesters gathered outside her home on Saturday night, „shouting obscenities and chanting into bullhorns in the dark of night.“ In a statement posted on Twitter, Benson said the protesters were „an extension of the noise and clouded efforts to about the security and accuracy of our elections that we’ve all endured in the month since the polls closed on November 3.“ Benson said the protesters arrived just after she and her 4-year-old son finished decorating for Christmas and were about to start a holiday movie. She said dozens of armed individuals stood outside of her home making „unambiguous, loud and threatening“ demands. „They targeted me in my role as Michigan’s Chief Election Officer. But the threats of those gathered weren’t actually aimed at me — or any other elected officials in this state,“ her statement reads. „They were aimed at the voters.“ Benson said while she has advocated for peaceful protests, „there is a line crossed when gatherings are done with the primary purpose of intimidation of public officials who are carrying out the oath of office they solemnly took as elected officials.“ She also reiterated what leaders in Michigan as well as many have attested about the 2020 presidential election: there is and „those unhappy with the results of this election have perpetuated an unprecedented, dangerous, egregious campaign to erode the public’s confidence in the results of one of the most secure, accessible and transparent elections in our state’s history.“ Last month, the Michigan Board of State Canvassers voted to certify the state’s election results, formalizing President-elect Joe Biden’s over President Trump by a margin of more than 154,000 votes.
