Jocelyn Benson is Michigan's 43rd Secretary of State.
In this role, she has become one of the nation’s most prominent leaders in ensuring elections are secure and accessible. Benson’s work overseeing Michigan’s 2020 and 2022 general elections, both of which drew record-breaking turnout and were more secure than any prior election in state history, earned her national recognition, including the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award and the Presidential Citizens Medal. She also implemented new voting rights for all eligible Michiganders prior to the 2020 election, including the right to vote absentee, and oversaw more than 250 audits after the election, all of which affirmed its integrity and accuracy.

The victory made her the first African-American woman to be elected to the Senate from Mobile County and the second one in the state of Alabama. In 2008, she became Alabama’s first African American woman to become the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate. Although this was her first statewide run for public office, she garnered 37 percent of the vote while President Barack Obama had 39 percent. She has been recognized for dedicated community and legislative service by numerous organizations, agencies and professional groups.

 a Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 20th District since 2006. Previously she was a member of the Alabama House of Representatives from 2003 through 2006.

Represents the 97th legislative district in the Alabama House of Representatives. She was first elected on May 21, 2013 to fill an unexpired term. She was elected to four-year terms in 2014 and 2018. She is a Democratic Party Whip in the House and chairs the Policy Committee of the House Democratic Caucus. She was named a “Legislator of the Year” by the Caucus in 2017. In November 2019, she was named one of 30 “Women Who Shape Alabama” by Birmingham Magazine. She was chosen for introducing the legislation and working diligently to get Alabama’s Equal Pay Act passed by the Alabama Legislature.