 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.  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
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.
Review Copies of the Reports Here Facts relating to “forensic audits” in Michigan (elections)
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).
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!  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.  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:
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.  Over the last few years, one of the gravest election concerns that has surfaced is the idea that "dead people" may be voting in Michigan elections. I took great interest in this possibility.
As the Macomb County Clerk, I have insight on this issue and can share with you how we have addressed it. This example will set the stage for how I will address it as the Michigan Secretary of State. One of the biggest problems we have in securing Michigan elections is that the Michigan Secretary of State’s office is not actively reviewing the rolls for people who have passed away. Yes, you read that right. There have been cases around America where "dead people" have had their vote counted in an election. This is not only wrong, it is unjust and criminal. As the Clerk of the third largest county in Michigan, I was curious how we could best safeguard our vote from this type of activity. The first thing we did after I was elected was take a close look at people’s age. We started with checking up on all voters that were over the age of 100. It turned out that Macomb County had over 600 people registered when we did the review who were over that age. I do know that people are living longer. Medical science has advanced. Our county has just shy of three quarters of a million registered voters. I asked the team how accurate that number was. Our team spent the next several weeks doing a deep dive into this situation. They reported back after tedious work of checking death certificates, reviewing obituaries, working with funeral homes and cemeteries, etc. The efforts proved fruitful.
We have more work to do, and are focused on this daily. We are checking the rolls in every way we can come up with. Our goal is simple - to have voter rolls with ONLY American Citizens who have registered properly - and call me crazy - are still alive. As your next Secretary of State, I will bring leadership to the office, and more importantly, results. We are going to clean up Michigan like we are doing in Macomb. |
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