Biographical Information
Occupation / Current Position
Lt. Governor of Michigan
Education
University of Michigan
Describe the background, skills, and experience that have prepared you for this role, and why do you want to serve as Secretary of State?
As the country's only statewide elected software engineer, I've made government work for people. It's time for bold leadership against a President who acts like a king — if democracy fails, we lose our best tool to fix real problems: unaffordable childcare, housing, healthcare.
I'm running for Secretary of State because Michigan is ground zero for free and fair elections. Unlike typical politicians, I refuse corporate PAC money; dark money has had too much influence over our elections for too long. I'll stand tall against Big Tech abusing Michiganders' personal data, and modernize licensing and registration to work better and smarter.
What actions or initiatives, if any, would you take to strengthen resources, training, and support for county, city, and local clerks?
Michigan's clerks are the backbone of our elections and deserve a Secretary of State who treats them as partners. I'd expand training on cybersecurity, audits, and absentee/same-day registration on a consistent, year-round cadence instead of last-minute rushes, and push for funding and grants to help under-resourced offices upgrade equipment and secure systems. Clerks also need an SOS office that listens, not just directs. I'd create feedback channels across all 83 counties. Having visited every county as Lt. Governor, I know a small UP clerk faces different challenges than one in a major city, and our support has to reflect that.
Please describe how you would safeguard voter data and maintain the integrity and security of Michigan’s elections.
The Secretary of State holds Michiganders' most sensitive data. I'll act as Chief Privacy Officer, keeping people protected and informed. As a software engineer who built and secured systems used by millions, I know cybersecurity demands vigilance: continuous investment in the voter database, regular audits, and rapid patching with clerks statewide. I'd strengthen post-election audits with verifiable paper trails. Transparency builds trust and blunts disinformation. On privacy, I'd enforce strict access controls and encryption for voter data, train clerks against phishing, and work with law enforcement to counter disinformation.
Describe your position on requiring documentary proof of citizenship for people to register and vote.
Michigan already safeguards its elections: only citizens may register or vote, voting while ineligible is a federal crime, and every voter attests to citizenship under penalty of perjury, with rolls cross-checked against state and federal databases. These laws work, there's no gap needing new bureaucracy. Proof-of-citizenship mandates aren't about security; they're disenfranchisement, burdening women whose documents don't match post-marriage names and rural residents far from offices to replace lost papers.