Pictured (l to r): Reserve Capt. Rodney Bridgeforth of Van Buren Co., Van Buren Co. Sheriff Dale Gribler, MSA Executive Director Terry Jungel and Secretary Johnson.
Johnson gives updates, STOPPED awards
Secretary of State Ruth Johnson was the keynote speaker at the Michigan Sheriffs' Association (MSA) conference luncheon on Oct. 14 in Lansing and renewed her partnership with one of the state's leading law enforcement organizations.
"In Oakland County where I live, our sheriffs have an incredible presence and I know that’s your trademark across the state," Johnson told the sheriffs and sheriff's representatives in attendance. "As Secretary of State, I want to thank you on behalf of our 10 million residents, for stepping up to serve."
Johnson provided updates on the issue of electronic proof of insurance and the Fighting Auto Insurance Rip-offs (FAIR) task force that she created to crack down on scams in Michigan.
She also presented awards to five sheriff's offices that signed up the most families in the MSA's STOPPED program, which informs parents if their teen driver is pulled over for any reason. Kent, Livingston, Van Buren, Sanilac and Crawford Counties each won their population division. Nearly 30,000 vehicles are currently registered in the program.
More than 600 registered Michigan voters, verified as non-U.S. citizens by federal records, received a notice this month asking them to contact state election officials to be removed from Michigan's voter rolls. And so far, dozens have responded requesting to be removed.
Secretary of State Ruth Johnson said the notice is part of ongoing efforts to ensure integrity in the state's voter rolls while at the same time protecting non-citizens.
"We have an obligation to deal with this issue, not ignore it, or we are doing a disservice to every legitimate voter in Michigan," Johnson said. "For more than 30 years, our branch clerks were required by the feds to ask every customer, regardless of citizenship, if they wanted to register to vote. We have since changed the procedures but some people remain on the voter rolls."
Some of these individuals registered inadvertently, Johnson said, "but the law is clear – only U.S. citizens may be registered to vote and vote on Election Day."
Read the full press release.
Hear SOS Johnson's interview with WJR's Frank Beckmann
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Secretary of State staff attended the Southeast Oakland County Senior Salute at the Royal Oak Farmers Market on Oct. 7 and provided hundreds of senior citizens with information about MDOS programs and services. Staff also did outreach at the Western Wayne Senior Celebration Day on Oct. 4 and the Senior Expo in St. Clair Shores on Oct. 10.
At a recent event, one woman said she had a complaint for Secretary of State Ruth Johnson.
She told Johnson that she had sent her husband to their local Secretary of State office, expecting three hours of peace and quiet as he had to renew his driver’s license. However, her husband was back in just 45 minutes.
Johnson smiled and told the customer that the lines at Secretary of State offices were shorter because of the popularity of the department’s online services at ExpressSOS.com.
“Well,” the customer said. “Is there any way you can make the lines longer for husbands?”
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