On Monday, Aug. 24, Michigan's Board of State Canvassers will decide the fate of a ballot proposal supported by more than 700,000 Michiganians, based on a review that few people outside the Secretary of State's Bureau of Elections can independently examine.
Americans for Citizen Voting submitted 709,841 signatures, more than 260,000 above Michigan's requirement of 446,198. Yet the Bureau's staff report concludes the petition may fall short because a sample of just 1,000 signatures produced 612 valid signatures, 17 short of the 629 needed. That tiny sample is being projected into a statewide shortfall of roughly 11,775 signatures.
I do not prejudge the Board's decision. The bipartisan Board approved the sampling process, and rejected signatures can go through additional review. But when the outcome depends on a sample this small, Michigan voters deserve to see enough of the evidence to have confidence in the result.
Citizens cannot independently examine petition signatures against the voter-registration signatures used for comparison. They cannot audit the vendor's sampling algorithm. When more than 700,000 signatures are at stake,"trust us" is not enough. Timing raises skepticism and concern.
The petition was filed March 4, 2026, 244 days before the November election. Supporters asked for a public review schedule, yet nearly six months later the petition remains unresolved. Meanwhile other petitions filed later have moved ahead.
When a petition filed that early and carrying that much support reaches decision day with the margin this close, voters are entitled to ask whether the process moved quickly enough, or whether there was political pressure to wait until it was too late to appeal.
My concern about transparency is not theoretical. I have seen firsthand what happens when election systems contain gaps that nobody wants to examine.
As Macomb County Clerk, my office began reviewing prospective jurors who identified themselves as noncitizens. More than 1,000 people have now reported in the last year and a half that they were ineligible for jury service because they were not U.S. citizens. More than 40 also appeared in Michigan's Qualified Voter File, and five had a voting history. That investigation drew national attention. More importantly, it led us to evidence that deservedto be investigated, not dismissed.
In January, we presented information to the Bureau of Elections. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson called my actions "reckless and irresponsible."
Now, months later, Attorney General Dana Nessel has charged five noncitizens accused of voting in Michigan's 2024 election. One of those charged, from Macomb County, was previously identified by my office through the same jury-pool investigation that I brought forward in January.
I take no satisfaction in that. I would rather have found a system that worked perfectly. But when evidence is presented, the answer should be to investigate it thoroughly, regardless of who presents it or to which political party they belong. That is the lesson I have learned as a county clerk: election integrity cannot be a partisan issue.
Michigan deliberately decentralizes election administration among 83 county clerks and hundreds of city and township clerks. That local structure provides accountability because clerks are close to the voters, the records, the signatures and the ballots.
On Aug. 24, the Board should make sure its decision on this petition rests on evidence the public can meaningfully evaluate. That could mean reviewing a larger sample, publishing the sampling methodology and explaining how signatures were verified against records that can be checked independently.
Michigan voters do not need every ballot question decided their way. They need confidence that the process was accurate, transparent and fair. That is the standard I have tried to bring to the Macomb County Clerk's Office, and it is the standard I would bring to the Secretary of State's Office.
Anthony G. Forlini is Macomb County Clerk and the Republican nominee for Michigan Secretary of State.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan voters deserve a straight answer on election integrity | Forlini