Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson will receive the nation’s second highest civilian award Friday for her work in preserving the integrity of the 2020 election.
Benson is among 12 Americans on whom President Joe Biden will bestow the Presidential Citizens Medal.
In the weeks following the 2020 election, Benson withstood pressure from supporters of former President Donald Trump to overturn the results in his favor.
Benson recalls the night when about two dozen armed protesters showed up outside her Detroit home.
“What was clear to me that evening when people were gathered outside my home was the same thing that so many people in my profession have felt, which is our duty to protect every voice and every vote…which is a duty I am proud to fulfill and what this recognition really affirms,” Benson said.
Benson notes the significance of being honored on the second anniversary of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in 2021.
“It gives me a lot of hope though we are in a moment of great divisiveness, that we can emerge from this moment with a more robust democracy than ever before,” she said.
The Presidential Citizens Medal awarding ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday at the White House.