Jocelyn Benson is not a politician by background, yet she has dedicated her career to being a protector, one guided by a core idea: that democracy works best when everyone has the opportunity to participate.

In Detroit, and later all across Michigan, she is known for rolling up her sleeves, fixing broken systems, and standing firm whenever necessary.

Benson came to Detroit in the early 2000s from Harvard and Oxford, where she joined Wayne State University’s law faculty, teaching election law and civil rights classes.

Former students of hers recall a witty professor who quoted cases and related the law to their everyday lives.

In 2012, she became the Dean of Wayne Law – the nation’s youngest woman to lead a top 100 Law school.

There, she helped open doors for students who might not always see themselves represented in leadership by linking theory to the real-life struggles of Detroiters.

In 2018, Benson became a full-fledged politician when she ran for Michigan Secretary of State.

She even wrote the book “State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process,” during this time, One of the first serious studies of how state offices safeguard elections.

As Secretary of State, she modernized an office that affects virtually every Michigander.

That translated to shorter queues at branch offices, easier online services, and – most importantly – an easier voting process.

Then came the biggest test of Benson’s career.

In 2020, a time when the pandemic was raging and the nation was deeply divided, Michigan held one of its largest and most-watched elections in history, which saw Benson expanding absentee voting, defending poll workers, and overseeing record turnout.

The situation escalated fast, yet Benson remained cool, calm, and collected, standing strong even when protests came outside her home and her integrity was attacked.

For Benson, Detroit has always been a central part of her outlook on life.

It’s where she built her career, raised her family, and fought back against misinformation designed to sabotage voters.

With this in mind, her stance has always been that Detroit’s voters – including the Black and working-class – are never disposable, a belief she has carried into her time overseeing elections.

Not only that, but she’s also pushing to modernize everyday services the Secretary of State’s office provides, from vehicle registrations to IDs.

For her, the government should never be complicated – it should be fair and accessible to all.

Jocelyn Benson is all about principle – an academic who became a public servant, a teacher who became a leader, and a Detroiter who has always stood for democracy.

In short: She isn’t just the Secretary of State of Michigan.

She’s Detroit’s defender of the vote – unshakable and unwilling to let anyone silence the people she represents.

Victoria Jackson (Editor In Chief)

Victoria Jackson is a lifelong student and sharp-eyed documentarian of all things Detroit, from its rich musical roots and cultural icons to its shifting neighborhoods, storied architecture, and underground legends. With her finger firmly on the pulse of both the city’s vibrant past and its rapidly unfolding future, she brings a deeply personal, historically grounded lens to every piece she writes.

Published on: August 27, 2025