The August 6 primary is in the books, but answers to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson expressed concerns about poll workers’ safety remain.

Prior to the primary, Benson announced she was implementing “panic buttons” that poll workers could use if they found themselves in a threatening situation.

The Midwesterner did not receive any response to emails sent to Benson’s communication staff, seeking information related to the costs and efficacy of the panic button initiative.

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Specifically, the unanswered questions from The Midwesterner asked about how much money was spent to implement the “direct emergency lines to local law enforcement,” whether any of the devices were put to use on primary election day, and whether there were any documented incidents at polling locations.

Another unanswered question from The Midwesterner’s initial coverage of Benson’s panic button implementation was whether the new system was redundant, considering poll workers could simply summon police by dialing 911.

Benson told the National Press Foundation at a meeting in Detroit last month that she would test the communication system that will allow election workers to immediately text police if they perceive a threat during the 2024 primary.

“One of the things that’s been alarming is the proliferation of the number of leaders, not just candidates not just one candidate, repeating those types of suspicions without any merit or basis in fact and it makes me concerned in this era of political violence that comments such as that, casting wrongly in my view, aspersions on the election process itself can lead to potentially violence, not just against candidates but election officials and elections administrators,” Benson said.

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“It’s one of the reasons why in 2023 we passed a law in Michigan to increasingly make it a felony for someone to threaten an election worker in their line of duty, so we can try to protect folks who were just simply doing their jobs,” she said. “But certainly we’re all on guard in the months ahead and trying to communicate the futility of casting these false aspersions on the security of our elections.”

Conversely, Benson is attempting to implement a new rule passed by Democratic legislators and signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on July 30. SB 603 includes provisions that prevent county canvassers from investigating voter fraud and increases the cost of recounting votes. Although SB 603 won’t become enforceable until 30 days after the legislature adjourns, Benson has asked the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules to implement the changes before this November’s general election.

The Republican National Committee is threatening a lawsuit if she’s successful.

“If Secretary Benson wants to be a lawmaker, she should run for the House or Senate,” Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, said in a statement. “Until then, she should wait until bills become law before acting on them. The secretary of state is supposed to follow the state constitution, not bypass it to change election laws at will.”