LANSING — The Service Employees International Union today endorsed Jocelyn Benson, a Wayne State University assistant professor of law who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Michigan secretary of state, because of her commitment to accountability, access, transparency and fairness.

As part of the SEIU’s member-driven endorsement process, all secretary of state candidates were required to:

· Participate in a “Walk A Day In My Shoes” event, where candidates must spend a day working alongside an SEIU member
· Respond to a detailed questionnaire on issues important to SEIU members
· Meet with different SEIU locals and discuss ways the candidate would help improve the lives of Michigan citizens, including the union’s 80,000 members

“SEIU members believe Jocelyn Benson represents the best choice for Michigan secretary of state,” said Phillip Thompson, executive vice president of SEIU Local 517M and president of the SEIU Michigan State Council. “Jocelyn Benson is committed to protecting the votes of citizens across Michigan and delivering on the promise to make sure every vote is counted. Her commitment to the issues important to our members — reforming government, fairly enforcing campaign finance and election laws and eliminating the driver’s responsibility fee — is the major reason we believe she will be an outstanding secretary of state.”

SEIU Michigan State Council represents 80,000 workers and their families in Michigan, and is part of the fastest growing union in the United States, the Service Employees International Union, with more than 2.2 million members nationwide. The SEIU Michigan State Council has four locals across the state of Michigan that represent government workers, school employees, healthcare workers, corrections officers and building services workers.