Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is ignoring her constituents and federal REAL ID requirements, not properly administering driving tests, and failing to properly train employees, according to a new audit.

A performance audit of the Department of State’s Branch Operations Division released by the Michigan Office of Auditor General this month uncovered four significant findings. The findings come as Benson faces increased scrutiny about a lack of transparency at the Secretary of State as she prepares to oversee her own election for governor in 2026.

A review of branch office data collection for a sample of 13 of the state’s 131 branch offices found the Secretary of State “did not consistently record wait time data for customers who did not have a scheduled visit,” with some offices recording times when customers arrive, and others when they’ve called the customer for service.

Branch offices also could do more to collect and take action on customer feedback, with auditors noting the Branch Operations Division “received 693 comments between October 1, 2022 and May 31, 2024, representing less than one-half of one percent of 7.0 million customers served for the same time period,” auditors wrote.

Ultimately, the auditor general found “BOD should strengthen its efforts for collecting and utilizing customer service information such as wait time data or customer feedback,” the report read. “The increased information could enhance BOD’s ability to better detect and address common issues and best practices, thereby improving in-person branch operations for approximately 350,000 customers branch offices serve monthly.”

Benson’s office agreed with the findings and detailed ways the Department of State is working to improve, though it argued “wait times for both customers with scheduled visits and those walking in have vastly improved due to the appointment-based operational model” implemented by Benson during the pandemic.

The MDOS also noted it “is in the process of developing a system to obtain customer feedback and we are waiting on approval of a contract with Qualtrics,” the agency’s response read. “The goal is to survey customers via text or email after their branch visit if allowable by the system.”

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A second finding centered on federal REAL ID and enhanced driver’s license and identification card security requirements.

“We randomly sampled 60 branch office transactions, of which 12 related to REAL ID-compliant (REAL ID and enhanced) transactions,” according to the report. “Our review noted BOD did not maintain documentation to support 6 (50%) of the 12 REAL ID-compliant transactions.”

Six of the bungled transactions did not include copies of applicants’ proof of Social Security Numbers, while five were missing proof of the resident’s address, auditors wrote.

The Secretary of State agreed with the finding, but argued the department opted to “follow the expectations” of the Transportation Security Administration that implementing the REAL ID requirements, rather than the letter of the law that requires retention of all source documents.

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“While BOD acknowledges the REAL ID and EDL security requirements highlighted by the Office of the Auditor General, the practical implementation of said requirements will likely create more problems than it solves within MDOS,” according to the agency’s preliminary response. “Since the MDOS REAL ID implementation in 2017, federal audits have yielded no findings pertaining to storage of SSN documentation at the time of this writing, including the Transportation Security Administration’s assessment in December 2024. Therefore, on this matter, MDOS is choosing to follow the expectations of the Transportation Security Administration, the federal agency responsible for REAL ID and EDL regulation.”

The Auditor General’s Finding 3: “BOD should improve its oversight of branch office compliance with monitoring policies in testing areas” for driver’s licenses.

Auditors noted Department of State policy prohibits a variety of activities during driver’s license tests, such as wearing hats or hoodies, or using study materials, notes or electronic devices.

Site visits to 13 branch offices found “at 11 branch offices, employees did not always ensure test takers place personal belongings, including electronic devices, papers, and bags, beneath the testing station or chair during testing.

“At 4 branch offices, employees did not always identify test takers’ use of electronic devices during testing, including the swiping of a cell phone or smartwatch and using an earbud,” auditors wrote. “At 2 branch offices, employees did not always identify test takers communicating with another person during the test.”

The Department of State partially agreed with the recommendation for improvement, while justifying the missteps observed by auditors.

“To improve oversight, BOD will add a work item to the District Manager Checklist to include observation of the testing area during office visits by District Managers,” the response read. “BOD will schedule testing oversight training to be completed during branch dedicated training time.”

But officials noted the Secretary of State will soon launch a “Know to Drive Online” system to allow applicants to take driving tests from home, and suggested some cheating at the branch offices is expected.

“While BOD can work to improve oversight for testing at branch offices, staff take the proper measures to ensure testing policies are being followed to the most reasonable extent, with the understanding that some quick actions taken by customers such as the swipe of a watch will not always be possible to observe,” they wrote.

The final finding centered on reviewed training records for a sample of 39 of 935 branch office employees active between October 2022 and April 2024.

“Our review disclosed BOD did not maintain documentation to support completion of 55 (14%) of 398 required training session,” auditors wrote.

Benson’s office disagreed with the finding, describing the requirement to maintain training records as a “waste in terms of time and resources among MDOS staff for an issue that is not an MDOS responsibility.”

The Department of State argued the issue should be attributed to the State of Michigan Learning Center that’s owned and operated by the Michigan Civil Service Commission, though auditors disagreed. The learning center’s system houses the records, which comes with limits on access, according to Benson’s office.

“DOS cannot delegate its responsibility to track and maintain training records of its employees to another agency simply based on the ownership of the system. Agency compensating controls are not the responsibility of the IT system or system owner,” the audit read. “It is unclear why DOS believes it is a ‘waste’ to track this information outside the system when the system is not tracking it.”

The Michigan Freedom Fund, which bills itself as “the first line of defense against the radical left,” blasted Benson over the audit on Monday, noting it follows other recent reports on her department’s bungled $9.3 million “transparency network” shielding public information from taxpayers.

“Over the next 18 months, you can expect Benson to twist the truth about her record as Secretary of State. Despite her rhetoric, the facts remain: Benson has failed to follow regulations, failed to listen to taxpayers, and failed to deliver government transparency or efficiency in Lansing,” Zach Rudat, advocacy director for Michigan Freedom Fund, said in a statement. “Government efficiency should be more than just a talking point for the campaign trail, it should be the guiding compass for all elected officials, including Benson.”