<![CDATA[Anthony G. Forlini - The Forlini Files]]>

<![CDATA[Anthony G. Forlini - The Forlini Files]]>Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:38:32 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[rEDISTRICTING - THE 2030 ceNSUS]]>Tue, 10 Mar 2026 17:13:36 GMThttps://www.forliniforus.com/theforlinifiles/redistricting-the-2030-census

Did you know that whoever holds the Secretary of State position will possibly oversee the next round of redistricting in the state?

According to the constitution, the state has to go through “redistricting” every 10 years. Based on the amount of people living in certain areas, the district lines get adjusted.

When there are more people in one district, they get more resources. When there is a decrease of people, resources get cut.

For example, Michigan used to have 17 congressional districts. Now we have 13. Every 10 years a check and balance - if done fairly - is accomplished to make sure there is fair representation.

When the redistricting took place in 2020, the progressive left worked hard to put the boundary lines in a way that would benefit their party.

Again, for example, if you draw the lines around a district that is largely made up of cities and left leaning voters, you have a greater likelihood of winning that seat for Democrats.

This is wrong.

Redistricting is something that must be handled with equal representation and consideration, done by the book, and according to the rule of law.

It must be fair.

Redistricting is something I am familiar with:

I have done it in Macomb County, as Chairman of the County Redistricting Committee
I was in the Legislature when we had to tackle it in my first term (2011-2012)

What we were able to do is a fair redistricting reflecting the actual population and with boundaries that made sense. I have experience in this and understand the rules and laws that apply. We were able to do the process correctly, and it stood up to the rigors and scrutiny of all involved.

Whoever is elected Secretary of State must be ready to do it fair, and impartially. Anything less is beneath the office we hold and the people we represent.

Send me your questions and thoughts at info@anthonyforlini.com

]]><![CDATA[Who Notarizes the Notary?]]>Tue, 10 Mar 2026 15:08:48 GMThttps://www.forliniforus.com/theforlinifiles/who-notarizes-the-notary

There’s been a lot of talk about voter fraud, but nobody talks about Notary Fraud. Recently, I was a special guest on a program called Law and Reality: " A Big Scam - Fraudulent Deeds! We spoke in detail of the problem I see and a possible solution.

A Notary is a licensed individual who has met certain requirements and can fulfill certain legal actions on behalf of the Secretary of State. The Chief Notary is whoever holds the Secretary of State position.

Examples of where you might use a Notary:

Real estate property and deeds

Precinct Delegate form
Legal and estate documents
Family & Travel: Custody agreements, adoption papers, and parental consent for minors traveling abroad.
Sworn statements
And more

What does not get discussed is the amount of fraud that is rampant in the notary profession. And especially in Michigan. Detroit News did a recent article on a tragic situation in Wayne County. It is a very relevant and alarming current day issue for Michigan residents.

I know all of this because I serve as Register of Deeds in Macomb County. I see first hand how the bad guys have passed up or forged the notaries and now we need to put something in place to ensure that the notary is who they say they are and that they actually did notarize a document.

TIGHTER RECORD DATABASE
In 2024, the National Notary Association did a position paper on the topic. They offered a detailed explanation of how notary impersonation is a rising issue. It was highlighted that the current public records and databases make it easy for the harvesting of official credentials.

There is not enough monitoring. But we can fix that.

PROPERTY THAT SHOULD NOT BE STOLEN
There is a growing concern that property owners are being taken advantage of in Michigan and around America. It is called “quit claim deed fraud”: scams that result in property being sold right out from under them. It comes back to too many holes in the system and not enough education of the public to know when to watch for such travesties.

It is commonly described as deed fraud / “deed theft” / home title theft, including cases where a forged quit claim deed is recorded and the true owner doesn’t realize it until later.

Michigan consumer-protection guidance explicitly warns about forged quit claim deeds as a scam method (a forged signature can be used to “hand” the property to a scammer, who may then borrow against it).
In Metro Detroit (especially Wayne County/Detroit), local reporting has described a major-scale deed fraud problem affecting homeowners.
Wayne County has had a dedicated Mortgage & Deed Fraud Unit (with a reporting hotline), which exists specifically because of fraudulent property activity.
Multiple Michigan counties offer free alert/notification tools to warn you when a document is recorded against your name/property (e.g., Oakland County PRN, Macomb “Fraud Notify,” Kent “Fraud Notify”).

The work of the Michigan Notary Association is so important. They are leading the way in educating notaries on the proper application of Michigan law and helping ensure notarizations are performed correctly. They even offer a public hotline at 313-444-0614 so people can get accurate guidance.

FRAUD UNDER OUR NOSES
This report was provided in 2024 about the danger of fraud and with the increase of AI it is only going to become a greater part of our everyday life. This is why whoever holds the keys to the Secretary of State office must be prepared to strengthen systems to ensure our citizens are protected.

But I see solutions and ways we can utilize solutions we can implement at the State level (for the good of all 83 counties). We must have greater accountability: I want to explore setting up a system (think of Google Authenticator) in the state where we can cross check to make sure a signature is verified. That way title companies or Register of Deed offices can do a final check to ensure a notary did indeed sign to verify the signature.

Right now, it is very easy for notary seals and signatures to be duplicated, due to advances in technology.

When I am elected as Michigan’s next Secretary of State, I will work to bring the solutions we have utilized in Macomb to the broader scope of the Department of State.

Send me your thoughts and feedback to info@anthonforlini.com

]]><![CDATA[I Turned Off the Modems]]>Thu, 19 Feb 2026 03:13:24 GMThttps://www.forliniforus.com/theforlinifiles/i-turned-off-the-modems

I want to share an important decision I made as your County Clerk - one that tells you a lot about how I lead, and exactly how I’ll operate as Michigan’s next Secretary of State.

Not long after I was elected in 2020, I started asking more questions about the technology being used in our election process. One thing immediately stood out to me as a red flag from a security standpoint: the presence of modems connected to election tabulators.

Any time you introduce connectivity into sensitive systems, you increase risk - period. And when we’re talking about the public’s vote, we cannot afford unnecessary risk or uncertainty.

So in 2021, I shut off the modems - and I didn’t stop there. I completely removed the hardware that allowed electronic transmission of data from the tabulators.

We were the first county clerk to shut them off, and the first in the state to take that step.

Why did I do it? Because I believe election integrity isn’t a slogan - it’s a responsibility. And leadership means doing what’s right, even when it isn’t easy.

It might surprise you but I caught a lot of grief for it. People on the left and the right had opinions. Some criticized the move because results came in slower. But my response was simple: when it comes to your vote, I’m not fooling around. If removing that connection takes a little more time but removes doubt, increases confidence, and reduces the risk of interference, then yes, it’s worth it.

Part of what prompted my decision was that we weren’t getting cooperation from a major vendor to provide information about the transmissions we were requesting. And when I heard that, I announced to my team, "If that’s how this is going to be, we’re not moving forward with modems at all. I shut them off and removed them from the tabulators."

As a side note, the company eventually sent the information I had been asking for, but by then my mind was made up. Because this isn’t about convenience. It’s about confidence.
Security and speed do not have to be enemies. We can report results efficiently without connecting tabulators to outside transmission devices. The right way to handle this is straightforward: after the ballots are tabulated and the memory sticks are removed, results can be transmitted electronically from the clerk’s office, not from the tabulator itself. That’s a safer chain of custody and a smarter process.

As Secretary of State, I’ll work to ensure Michigan has a faster, cleaner system for reporting election night results - without compromising security and without introducing avoidable vulnerabilities.

This is what I’ve done as County Clerk. It’s how I’ll lead statewide: identify the risks, take decisive action, and protect the integrity of every citizen’s vote.

]]><![CDATA[tHE onLY cOUNTY TO DO A FORENSIC AUDit]]>Thu, 19 Feb 2026 03:04:28 GMThttps://www.forliniforus.com/theforlinifiles/the-only-county-to-do-a-forensic-audit

I was elected as a County Clerk in the fall of 2020. I took my office in the beginning of 2021.

I called for a Forensic Audit of the Macomb County election server, the election software as well as the communication systems (the only place I had and have jurisdiction to do so) long before everyone even understood what a forensic audit was.

A forensic audit is an official term for a very detailed investigation into the election processes and procedures.

Citizens all over Michigan have been gravely concerned with election processes - rightfully so - and in Macomb County, the third largest county in Michigan, it was no different.

My investigation was well worth the time. Because of our investigation we

Were the first county in Michigan to remove the modems
Required that two people had to swipe into the server room
We trained all our County Clerks to do HASH validations (to ensure there was not any outside influence in the programming software foreign or domestic)
Watermarked ballots
Improved transparency of ballots to our citizens

And I made everything public and transparent online. We immediately posted the report on our website. It is still available to this day.

Did you know that forensic audits are not a part of the current Secretary of State rule book? It is not even properly defined and it is not a part of the law.

When I am elected as the next Secretary of State of Michigan we will make Forensic Audits a priority.

I will work with the Michigan Legislature to put “forensic audit” into law, making it a regular feature of office standard around the state
We will examine chain-of-custody records, review audit logs from electronic voting systems, we will review mail-ballot related materials and use analytic tools of the highest standards to examine the nuts and bolts of election administration to determine if there is any nefarious behavior taking place. And we will address it immediately.

Review Copies of the Reports Here

Facts relating to “forensic audits” in Michigan (elections)

Michigan relies on established mechanisms such as canvassing, recounts, procedural audits, and risk-limiting audits.

The SOS document explains risk-limiting audits (statistical hand counts to confirm outcomes within a risk limit) and procedural audits (opening ballot containers, comparing ballots to poll book/tallies, checking processes).

Michigan has a constitutional and statutory framework for post-election audits: the Bureau of Elections’ 2024 post-election audit report notes audits are required under Michigan election law, and references constitutional changes from Proposal 2018-3 and Proposal 2022-2 (including that post-election audits must be conducted only by election officials).
After the 2024 General Election, the Michigan SOS office reported “nearly 500 audits across the state,” including a risk-limiting audit sample and procedural audits in randomly selected precincts.
Michigan issued guidance warning clerks about requests to perform a “forensic audit” of tabulators/election software, emphasizing that access to voting equipment is limited to election officials, licensed vendors, and accredited voting system test labs - citing legal and chain-of-custody risks.

Proper protocols matter. Transparency matters. Rule of law matters. Good systems matter.

I have been demonstrating my commitment to these things for years and will continue to do so in all 83 counties when elected as your next Secretary of State!

]]><![CDATA[Prosecuting the Double Votes]]>Thu, 19 Feb 2026 02:26:08 GMThttps://www.forliniforus.com/theforlinifiles/prosecuting-the-double-votes

In the August 2024 election, one of Macomb's city clerks discovered some voting malfeasance. As the Macomb County Clerk, along with the City Clerk, we were very concerned.

We reported the incident immediately to both the County Prosecutor and Attorney General to have them investigate immediately.

Four individuals were caught voting twice. Three local election workers were involved in covering up the errors.

By October 2024, Attorney General Nessel brought charges to all 7 residents.

The verdict on the latest has just been released.

Whether double voting is done with ill intent or out of a genuine mistake, I have zero tolerance for voting mishaps. We must be good stewards of the voting process.

Playing with your vote and your ballot is no laughing matter. It must be taken seriously and in Macomb County we scrutinize our processes, tightening every crack in the system.

I am a merciful guy. But when it comes to tampering with ballots, duplicating votes, or trying to cheat the system - there is only one answer: the rule of law. Those who vote and those who work in elections must be held accountable and when they do not do their job - there are consequences.

It’s time to make elections clean, tight, and accountable: rules must be obeyed, processes must be followed, checks and balances must be in place.

I've been doing this as Macomb County Clerk and I will do it as the Secretary of State for Michigan.

]]><![CDATA[wATERMARKING THE bALLOTS]]>Thu, 19 Feb 2026 02:22:24 GMThttps://www.forliniforus.com/theforlinifiles/watermarking-the-ballots

Do you believe every ballot is sacred and should be treated that way?

I do. And this is why, as the Macomb County Clerk, I decided your vote was important enough to watermark all our ballots to elevate its security.

It is hard to believe that the current Michigan Secretary of State does not require it now.

But if I am elected as your next Secretary of State, I will.

Watermarking is a simple and unique way to secure our ballots. Here is a real life example: hold up a $20 bill up to the light and you will see what I'm talking about. If our American cash is watermarked - shouldn't our ballots be watermarked as well?

When you watermark ballots it does a number of things for a citizen's vote. It:

Provides physical record for future accountability: When you have a watermarked ballot it means you have a physical ballot and that physical ballot can be reviewed later. Physical ballots are much more reliable than digital records alone.
Protects against stuffing ballot boxes or fake ballots: Water marked ballots have a physical digital stamp and it makes things harder for nefarious endeavors.
Establishes chain of custody: Watermarked ballots help election officials to verify ballots cast are real.

Did you know that watermarking documents started in 1282 in Italy? It was a secure way to identify where the documents had come from but it quickly spread and became a way to prevent forgery.

When I am elected to be your next Secretary of State, I will work to make sure every local County Clerk has the tools and process to have watermarked ballots.

It is an important key to making sure our elections are more secure for your sacred vote.

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