MHA RACE OF THE WEEK
The MHA’s Race of the Week series highlights the most pivotal statewide races and ballot questions for Election 2022. The series will provide hospitals and healthcare advocates with the resources they need to make informed decisions on Election Day, including candidates’ views and background.
MICHIGAN SECRETARY OF STATE
Incumbent Democrat Jocelyn Benson is the former CEO and executive director of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality, a national nonprofit dedicated to improving race relations and driving social progress in professional sports. She is a graduate of Wellesley College, Harvard Law School and Oxford University, and is a former dean of Wayne State University Law School. During her time as Secretary of State, Benson has focused her efforts on election access. She played a key role in advocating for opportunities to vote early and by mail, particularly during the early-pandemic election in 2020. For more information, visit votebenson.com.
Republican Kristina Karamo is a public speaking and college orientation professor at Wayne County Community College. Her prior political experience is highlighted by an unsuccessful attempt in 2018 to serve as Oakland County Commissioner for the 10th District. She also served on the Right to Life of Michigan’s Black Leadership Committee, and as communications chair for the Oakland County Republican Party and the Michigan Republican Party State Committee. Karamo is primarily focused on the issue of election security after claiming she witnessed fraud while serving as a poll challenger during the 2020 election. Karama is a graduate of Oakland University and Biola University in La Mirada, California. For more information, visit kristinakaramo.com.
WHY IT MATTERS
The Secretary of State oversees the Michigan Department of State. In addition to licensing drivers and registering and titling vehicles, Michigan’s secretary of state also administers election law and voter registration. The Michigan Department of State, maintains the Michigan Organ Donor Registry, a confidential database of residents who wish to be organ and tissue donors. Gift of Life Michigan, the state’s authorized organ recovery organization, may access the database to assist hospitals in cases where a transplant is pending. The process of signing up to be a donor has been streamlined to allow individuals to register when requesting or renewing a driver’s license or state ID card, but the number of donor registrations has fallen given the lack of renewals during the COVID pandemic.
For more election information and updates or to request Election 2022 informational materials, visit the MHA Election webpage or email election@mha.org. Join the MHA in talking about Election 2022 on social media using #MIVoteMatters.