• The future of democracy is a top issue for Bridge Michigan readers this election year
  • Gubernatorial candidates from both major parties responded to related Bridge questions
  • The candidates laid out plans to improve confidence in elections, government transparency and more

Editor’s note: This story was updated on Aug. 18, 2026, to focus on candidates who won their primary elections.

Both of Michigan’s major-party gubernatorial candidates say they’d work to expand public access to government records and limit the influence of money in Lansing, but they are divided on whether to toughen voting rules.

Readers have identified the future of democracy as a top concern, according to Bridge Listens, our nonscientific survey of the state’s most pressing election-year issues.

So we asked gubernatorial candidates how or if they’d try to change voting access, address the influence of money in politics, improve government transparency, grow confidence in elections and overcome political polarization.

The major-party candidates are:

Read summaries of their responses below, and click here to see their full, unedited answers. 

Voting rules

The question: After several voter-approved changes, Michiganders have a menu of options for casting a ballot and multiple ways to verify their identity. Are there changes you’d like to make to Michigan’s voting system, and how would you accomplish those changes? 

James, a Republican who has questioned the legitimacy of President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, wants to tighten voter ID requirements and require additional review of the state’s election system.

Related:

Both said they want to require ID to vote, which would eliminate a current affidavit option for voters who don’t have or forget their ID. James said he “enthusiastically” supports a potential ballot proposal that would also require the state to verify citizenship for voter registration. 

He said he wants to require ID to vote, which would eliminate a current affidavit option for voters who don’t have or forget identification. James also said he “enthusiastically” supports a potential ballot proposal that would also require the state to verify citizenship for voter registration. 

In Congress, James voted for the federal SAVE Act. Like the state proposal, it would require proof of citizenship for people registering to vote or updating their registration, among other things. 

As secretary of state, Benson has overseen Michigan’s decentralized election system since 2019. She said the proposed law — which has stalled in the US House — is “misguided” and “could disenfranchise millions of married women” whose last names no longer match required documentation. 

Rather than making voting rules more strict, Benson said the state’s next governor must work to defend against any attempts to do so. She advocated for broader election-related policy changes instead.

“We must enact reforms to protect our election system from the spread of misinformation, hold accountable bad actors who use AI to mislead voters, and expand our cybersecurity protections so that foreign adversaries are unable to interfere with our voting systems,” she told Bridge.

Money in politics

The question: There is broad agreement among voters that money plays too large a role in our politics. Would you seek to reduce the influence of money in Michigan’s politics, in campaign finance, lobbying or through other avenues? How? 

Like much of the public, major-party candidates running for Michigan governor agreed money’s influence in politics should be curtailed.

“Right now, corporate influence shares our policies in Michigan more than the people do,” said Benson, a Democrat, who is calling for policies similar to a potential ballot proposal that would ban state contractors and regulated utilities from being able to spend in state-level elections. 

Benson ascribed the high costs of water, electricity and prescriptions to corporate influence. She noted her advocacy to bring greater transparency to campaign finance in Michigan. 

James wants to ban “taxpayer-funded lobbying,”  which many local governments, universities and schools engage in to advocate for more funding. He said he would ban policymakers’ ability to fundraise during legislative sessions. 

He also called for banning loopholes that may allow officials to accept gifts from lobbyists without reporting them and promised to strengthen conflict of interest laws “so public office isn’t used for personal gain.” 

He didn’t specify what that would entail.

Both candidates had called for a cooling-off period before lawmakers who leave office can become lobbyists, which reform advocates say could cause conflicts of interest. Since their responses, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a law creating a two-year cooling off period. 

Government transparency 

The question: Michigan has long had some of the worst marks in the nation for government transparency. Will you commit to voluntarily opening your office to Freedom of Information Act requests even if the legislature fails to act? What other reforms would you propose to improve ethics and transparency in state government? 

Michigan is one of only two states in the nation to fully exempt the governor’s office and Legislature from public records requests, which means the public cannot access related documents produced using taxpayer funds. 

As a candidate in 2018, Whitmer had pledged to voluntarily open her office up to such requests if lawmakers did not expand the Freedom of Information Act, but she has not done so. 

Benson said she would finally do so if elected governor. James did not. He backed legislative reform rather than voluntary disclosure. 

“I’ll support ending FOIA exemptions so the governor’s office, the executive branch and the Legislature are all subject to public scrutiny,” James said.

James criticized Benson for the bumpy rollout of a new government transparency portal in the department she oversees.

He promised his administration would “strengthen ethics standards by requiring ethics clauses in employment agreements, mandatory ethics training and stronger whistleblower protections.”

Benson turned to her record as secretary of state, saying she “consistently pushed for greater transparency from all leaders in state government” and argued she had the “strongest and most comprehensive transparency plan of any candidate in this race.”

Election integrity

The question: Michigan’s electoral process has weathered unprecedented scrutiny — and skepticism — since 2020. How can you improve confidence in the state’s elections, and will you pledge to accept the results of the August and November elections, regardless of the outcome? 

ABoth candidates agreed to accept the results of the upcoming elections, but James had some caveats: He said he’d do so if it is “conducted fairly, securely and transparently and properly certified by the board of state canvassers.” 

Recent changes to state law make election certification a virtual certainty. 

James conceded his own 2020 election loss but has since questioned it.

Benson, who has implemented a firewall to separate her campaign from her duties as secretary of state, encouraged “all citizens to ask tough questions about our processes and seek trusted sources of information — like local clerks — for accurate answers.”

She also encouraged voters to “to serve as a poll worker, election challenger, or observer, or participate in post-election audits, or attend” public local voting machine tests “to see our election security firsthand.”

Political polarization

The question: Nationwide, the risk of political violence is rising, and divisions in Lansing, too, have led the legislature to miss budget deadlines two years running. What will you do as governor to reduce dysfunction, bring the parties together and lower the temperature? Can you name an issue where you’re looking forward to partnering with the other party? 

Both candidates said there are opportunities to work across the aisle in Lansing.

“No one party has all the answers, and it will require working together to deliver for Michiganders,” said Benson. “If we do that, we can build more housing, improve infrastructure, grow small businesses, and create good-paying jobs faster.”

The Republican James said he’d like to work with Democrats on transparency and ethics reform.

“I’ll work with anyone willing to increase transparency, strengthen ethical standards for public officials, and restore trust in state government because accountability shouldn’t be a partisan issue,” he said.

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