Opinion

Auchter's Art: Saying the quiet part out loud

Michigan Public | By John Auchter

Published May 15, 2026 at 7:00 AM EDT

Editorial cartoon in four panels featuring cartoon donkey and elephant figures labeled "Dems" and "GOP" representing the two political parties. In the first panel, the donkey tells the elephant that Secretary of State Benson has created a "firewall" so that as a candidate for governor she will have no direct influence over the election. In the second panel, the elephant rejects this, saying it "still reeks of political bias and cannot be trusted," and the donkey asks what the elephant suggests. In the third panel, the elephant grins and proposes having the U.S. Department of Justice oversee Michigan elections, boasting "they do whatever I tell them to do." In the fourth panel, the donkey asks, "You just go ahead and say the quiet parts out loud now, don't you?" The elephant replies, "Or the U.S. Supreme Court — I totally own them, too!" — Still, all voters are right to ask questions. Benson is a Democrat, and some Republican gubernatorial candidates have voiced their concerns. But understand, in 2019 then SOS Ruth Johnson ran as a candidate and won a race for state Senate. Was there a problem with that?

The current Secretary of State (SOS) in Michigan, Jocelyn Benson, is also a candidate for governor in the upcoming election here in Michigan. Of course, one of the duties of the SOS is managing elections, and this raises some questions.

To get ahead of those questions, Benson has outlined an "election oversight conflict of interest policy" or the catchier "firewall policy." It specifies that Michigan elections are administered by local clerks, and state-level functions are carried out by nonpartisan civil servants in the Bureau of Elections. Benson’s conflict of interest policy largely involves the bureau keeping its work private from Benson until decisions have been finalized.

Still, all voters are right to ask questions. Benson is a Democrat, and some Republican gubernatorial candidates have voiced their concerns. But understand, in 2019 then-SOS Ruth Johnson ran as a candidate and won a race for state Senate. Was there a problem with that?

And if the concern is untoward political bias, suggesting that the U.S. Department of Justice should run Michigan elections (as candidate Aric Nesbitt has) may not be the high horse you want to be riding.

Editor's note: John Auchter is a freelance political cartoonist. His views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Public, its management, or its license holder, the University of Michigan.