Established Fact
The Michigan Bureau of Elections, under Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, issued a February 12, 2021, directive to local clerks explicitly ordering deletion of electronic pollbook software and associated files – directly contradicting 52 U.S.C. 20702’s unconditional 22-month federal retention mandate. The Michigan Senate Oversight Committee characterized the directive as standard practice; no federal authority has been identified authorizing this specific destruction.
Citations
Release of Voting Equipment Memo: https://www.whmi.com/dbfiles/download/newsarticles/attachment1/38219 | WHMI (Michigan Bureau of Elections)
Michigan SOS Director of Elections Opinions (Election-transparency series): https://www.michigan.gov/sos/-/media/Project/Websites/sos/Elections/Election-transparency/9-Director-of-Elections-Opinions.pdf | Michigan SOS
Protest Erupts Outside Secretary of State Benson’s Home — County Clerks Ordered to Delete Election Data: https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/12/protest-erupts-front-radical-mi-sec-state-jocelyn-bensons-home-lawmakers-discover-mi-county-clerks-ordered-delete-election-related-data-computers-video/ | The Gateway Pundit (Feb. 12, 2021 directive from SOS Benson to county clerks to delete election-related data)
Letter to Adams Township Clerk October 25 2021: https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/MISOS/2021/10/25/file_attachments/1976229/Letters%20to%20Adams%20Township%20Clerk.pdf | Michigan Bureau of Elections
Protest Erupts… Benson’s Home: https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/12/protest-erupts-front-radical-mi-sec-state-jocelyn-bensons-home-lawmakers-discover-mi-county-clerks-ordered-delete-election-related-data-computers-video/ | The Gateway Pundit