Secretary of state race focuses on voter roll transparency and campaign finance overhaul

Michigan voters will decide who will serve as the next secretary of state on Thursday, Oct. 8, after eight years of Democrat Jocelyn Benson. Candidates Republican Anthony Forlini and Democrat Garlin Gilchrist have both highlighted the need for greater transparency in the office and improved vehicle services.

Forlini, the current Macomb County clerk, stresses that the state should have cleaner voter rolls and better transparency, and he plans to collaborate with the federal government to keep the voter roll accurate. Gilchrist, the state’s lieutenant governor, wants to protect elections from overreach by the federal government and will use his computer engineering background to modernize the Michigan Transparency Network, or MiTN, with a plan called “Stand TALL.”

Both candidates agree that MiTN needs a major revamp and that local clerks should work more closely with the Department of State. Forlini has already introduced an online tool called Ballot Verifier in Macomb County, while Gilchrist aims to ensure real‑time enforcement of campaign finance violations and to make the system easy to use and navigate.

Read the full story at michiganadvance.com.