Macomb Clerk Anthony Forlini pitches clean voter rolls and hands-on election experience against Garlin Gilchrist for secretary of state

LANSING — Michigan’s next secretary of state will run the 2028 presidential election here, and the Nov. 3 race to replace term-limited Democrat Jocelyn Benson pits a Republican who runs elections now against a Democrat who has spent eight years as lieutenant governor. Republican Anthony Forlini, the Macomb County clerk, faces Democrat Garlin Gilchrist II. Three minor-party candidates are also on the ballot: Libertarian Christine Sloan, U.S. Taxpayers candidate Scott Aughney and Green Eric Borregard, according to Ballotpedia and the Kalamazoo County clerk’s official candidate list. The office oversees elections, driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations, and it is the third-highest post in state government, Votebeat noted.

Forlini: no ‘training wheels.’ Forlini was elected Macomb County clerk in 2020, after serving in the state House from 2011 to 2016 and as Harrison Township supervisor from 2004 to 2011, according to Ballotpedia. At the candidates’ Oct. 8 debate at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy, he said he is the only candidate who has actually run elections, in the state’s third-largest county. “You can’t have training wheels on until we learn how to do this stuff,” he said, The Michigan Daily reported. In his closing, he said the next secretary of state must “not be afraid to take bold action, to be able to make sure the voting rolls are clean, to make sure our clerks are properly trained,” adding that Benson “never was a clerk, never ran elections.”

Clean rolls and open records. Forlini told Votebeat that clean voter rolls are a goal he shares with the federal government no matter who is president. “If Joe Biden were to call me to say, ‘Hey, we want to make sure the voting rolls are clean. Can we work together?’ I would say yes,” he said, adding that he has “nothing to hide” and wants to work with federal officials to find noncitizens on the rolls. Under his watch, Macomb County launched Ballot Verifier, an online tool that posts images of every ballot cast after an election, and he wants more records, such as electronic pollbook data, kept with an intact chain of custody, Votebeat reported. “I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican — people are always questioning elections and the outcomes,” he said. “The only way you can end it is through transparency while keeping the confidentiality of people.” In his Ballotpedia survey he wrote that “election integrity is achieved through standards and competence, not slogans.”

The federal voter-roll fight. The winner is likely to inherit a legal fight with the U.S. Justice Department, which sued Michigan for its unredacted voter roll after the state turned over only a redacted copy. A district court dismissed the case in February and an appeals court did the same in June, but it could still reach the U.S. Supreme Court, Votebeat reported. Gilchrist said he would “absolutely not” turn over the unredacted roll. “When people give their data, their private information, to the government, they expect us to protect it, not fork it over to the president for his priorities,” he said. At the debate, Forlini welcomed federal observers. “Bring them to Macomb — the more eyes, the better,” he said, according to The Michigan Daily.

The sharpest exchange. Gilchrist accused Forlini of having “placated election deniers” and pointed to a Macomb clerk’s office employee who recruits and trains poll workers and who, Gilchrist said, took part in the Jan. 6, 2021, protest at the U.S. Capitol, Michigan Public reported. Forlini said the employee is “very, very vocal and not something that I necessarily aspire to,” but that he hires for talent and has “Democrats and Republicans working for me.” He pointed to national recognition for his office, including from Tyler Technologies in 2025. Forlini, who said he has “never denied the election” and that Joe Biden “was certified as president and served four years,” turned the charge around: Gilchrist sought a partial recount after losing the 2017 Detroit city clerk race. That recount found errors in how ballots were processed and stored but confirmed his loss, and Gilchrist then conceded, Michigan Public reported.

Service at the counter. Both candidates want walk-in service at branch offices alongside appointments. Gilchrist, a former Microsoft software developer, wants more self-service kiosks, including at retailers like Meijer, and digital driver’s licenses. Forlini answered that tens of thousands of Michigan residents are still waiting on state tax refunds because of a software problem, and that if Gilchrist is “that good,” he could “step in and fix it,” The Michigan Daily reported. Forlini told Votebeat he would review office processes, cross-train staff and make sure phones get answered, work he said he has already done in Macomb County. Both want to overhaul the state’s glitchy campaign finance system; Gilchrist’s “Stand TALL” plan calls for disclosing dark-money donors before elections.

Where the race stands. A Mitchell Research & Communications poll of 682 likely voters taken Oct. 1 for several Michigan TV stations, including CBS Detroit, found Gilchrist at 41% and Forlini at 36%, with 6% for third-party candidates and 18% undecided; the margin of error was 3.8 points. Forlini led among men and voters 65 and older, and the pollsters said he is “within striking distance,” with fundraising a possible factor, CBS Detroit reported. A poll is a snapshot, not a result.

Also on the statewide ballot. Voters will also decide the attorney general race between Republican Doug Lloyd and Democrat Eli Savit, the governor’s race, where Republican John James is pitching an income tax cut against Benson, the Michigan Supreme Court race, Proposal 1 on calling a constitutional convention and Proposal 2 on utility and contractor campaign donations.

How to vote. Monday, Oct. 19, was the last day to register to vote online or by mail. After that, residents can still register in person at their city or township clerk’s office with proof of residency, through 8 p.m. on Election Day. Statewide early in-person voting runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 1; check with your city or township clerk for early voting sites and hours. Absentee ballot applications are due by 5 p.m. Oct. 30 by mail or online, or by 4 p.m. Nov. 2 in person at the clerk’s office. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. County canvasses must finish by Nov. 17, and the Board of State Canvassers certifies statewide results by Nov. 23. Voters can check their registration and see their sample ballot at Michigan.gov/Vote.

Updated Oct. 20, 2026: The Oct. 19 deadline to register to vote online or by mail has passed, so the voting details now say so. Residents can still register in person at their city or township clerk’s office with proof of residency through 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Sources:
Votebeat, Hayley Harding, “2026 election: Where the candidates for Michigan secretary of state stand on the issues,” Oct. 8, 2026, https://www.votebeat.org/michigan/2026/10/08/garlin-gilchrist-anthony-forlini-secretary-of-state-2026-election/
Michigan Public, Etai Smotrich-Barr, “Secretary of State candidates square off over election integrity at debate,” Oct. 9, 2026, https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2026-10-09/secretary-of-state-candidates-square-off-over-election-integrity-at-debate
The Michigan Daily, Zahra Kagal and Niko Wilson, “Gilchrist and Forlini clash over election denial, voting security in secretary of state debate,” Oct. 9, 2026, https://www.michigandaily.com/news/government/gilchrist-and-forlini-clash-over-election-denial-voting-security-in-secretary-of-state-debate/
CBS Detroit, “Gilchrist leads Forlini for Secretary of State in Michigan election poll; attorney general race tied” (Mitchell Research & Communications poll, Oct. 1), https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/secretary-of-state-attorney-general-michigan-election-poll/
Ballotpedia, “Michigan Secretary of State election, 2026” (candidates, Forlini biography and survey response), https://ballotpedia.org/Michigan_Secretary_of_State_election,_2026
Kalamazoo County Clerk, Official Candidate List, November 3, 2026 General Election (Secretary of State candidates), https://www.kalcounty.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6469/Unofficial-November-2026-Candidate-List?bidId=
Michigan Department of State, “Absentee voting” and election calendar (registration, early voting and absentee deadlines), https://www.michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/absentee-voting
Photo: WeaponizingArchitecture, “Mount Clemens, MI Skyline.jpg,” May 29, 2022, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), cropped and resized; derivative shared under the same license, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mount_Clemens,_MI_Skyline.jpg

Lansing · Election 2026 coverage

Tags: Lansing · Election 2026 · Secretary of State · Election Integrity · Macomb County · Statewide Races