Election 2026 · Marquette
Forlini brings his voter-roll and branch-access pitch to Marquette days before the secretary of state vote
MARQUETTE — Anthony Forlini, the Republican nominee for Michigan secretary of state, brought his campaign to Marquette on Thursday with a promise that Upper Peninsula drivers would not have to travel as far, or pay as much, to get state services, and a warning that the state’s voter rolls need closer watching.
Forlini, the Macomb County clerk, faces Democratic Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II on Tuesday, Nov. 3, in the race to succeed Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. My UP News reported it was his third campaign trip to the U.P.
Kiosks and branches where people shop
In interviews with The Mining Journal and My UP News, Forlini said he would put self-service kiosks and small branch offices where people already go, including grocery stores, retailers such as Walmart and county clerk offices, rather than relying only on stand-alone branches. He said kiosk transactions should be free. “With the kiosks, maybe we shouldn’t be charging a fee, because look at how much more efficient it is for us,” he told the Mining Journal.
He pointed to Macomb County, where he said the wait for a clerk’s office appointment fell from four weeks to four minutes, and that phones are now answered 98% of the time, which he credits partly to bringing remote employees back to the office. Rural counties have different concerns than big ones like his, he said, and state programs have mostly been built around the larger communities.
Branch hours are a live issue up north. The state’s office in Mohawk, in the Keweenaw, moves to Tuesdays only starting Nov. 10.
Voter rolls and deed fraud
Forlini told My UP News that “the system is broke,” citing a FOX 2 Detroit report about a Canadian green card holder in Oakland County who was mailed a voter registration card after renewing her driver’s license. A Michigan Department of State spokesperson told FOX 2 the state is investigating and will cancel the registration, and that only U.S. citizens can register and vote.
Forlini said his office reviewed more than 1,000 people who used green cards to be excused from jury duty over 18 months, found more than 50 on the voter rolls and six who had voted, and that no eligible voters were removed. He said he is willing to work with the federal government on voter rolls; Gilchrist has raised concerns about sharing Michigan voter data with federal authorities, My UP News reported. Forlini also praised a temporary Court of Claims order that tells local clerks to preserve Nov. 3 electronic pollbook files on encrypted flash drives.
His third priority is the notary system. “There’s deed theft happening every day,” he told the Mining Journal, proposing a way, possibly a phone app, to confirm that a notary’s signature is real.
Forlini said he will not hold an election-night party because he will be working as clerk. My UP News said it was working to schedule an interview with Gilchrist. Our earlier look at the Forlini-Gilchrist race lays out both candidates’ platforms.
Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Early in-person voting runs through Sunday, Nov. 1. Michigan residents can still register and vote in person at their city or township clerk’s office with proof of residency through 8 p.m. on Election Day, according to the Michigan Department of State.
Sources:
The Mining Journal, “Secretary of State candidate Anthony Forlini makes campaign spot in Marquette,” Oct. 31, 2026 (kiosks, Macomb wait times, notaries, rural service, election night), https://www.miningjournal.net/news/front-page-news/2026/10/secretary-of-state-candidate-anthony-forlini-makes-campaign-spot-in-marquette/
My UP News (WBUP/WJMN), “‘The system is broke’: GOP Secretary of State nominee Anthony Forlini blasts voter roll errors during U.P. stop,” Oct. 29, 2026 (third U.P. trip, voter-roll review, Department of State statement, pollbook order, branches), https://www.myupnow.com/news/the-system-is-broke-gop-secretary-of-state-nominee-anthony-forlini-blasts-voter-roll-errors/article_4082854d-f98a-475e-b064-d17bcb59ce78.html
Michigan Department of State, elections (voting hours, registration), https://www.michigan.gov/sos/elections
Photo: Paul R. Burley, “Marquette County Courthouse Michigan 20220620-7157,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marquette_County_Courthouse_Michigan_20220620-7157.jpg
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