Secretary of State

     If you live in Michigan, you know that "The Secretary of State" that place in the strip mall next to Jet's where you get your driver's license. What many tend to overlook is that this is yet another lazy colloquial slip-up: the Secretary of State is not a place (most states call it the DMV, or Department of Motor Vehicles... oh, we crazy Michiganders) but rather a governmental office. At the national level, the Secretary of State is the person in charge of foreign policy; that person (right now, it's noneother than former First Lady Hillary R. Clinton) is a highly-entrusted member of the President's Cabinet.

     At the state level, the Secretary of State is entrusted with different responsibilities. In the state of Michigan, the SoS oversees driver licensing and registration (obvs), the regulation of notaries, and a big one: overseeing elections within the state.

     What does that mean to you? First of all, like any elected office, you want someone who you TRUST! A proposal is in order which, if passed, will prevent folks who have had a shady past (public officials with records of crimes involving deceit and other ethical slip-ups) from being eligible for office... but we'll get into that later. Still, one hopes that an elected official which such a huge responsibility is one that you-- the voter-- trusts.

     Another important thing is that the Secretary of State in Michigan is third in the succession line for governor. I know what you're saying... I'm sure the governor will make it through his or her term. And then I'm SURE that, in the event that s/he doesn't (God forbid) the Lieutenant Governor will be happy to step up. But if there's one thing that Poland has taught us, it's that you NEVER KNOW when a freak accident will wipe out a huge chunk of your government. So that really is something to think about!

Anyway, here are your candidates:

Jocelyn Benson (D): Law school professor and attorney


Cameron Brown (R): State senator and ex-St. Joseph County commissioner


Judy Emmons (R): Ex- state rep


Ruth Johnson (R): Oakland County Clerk; ex-state rep; businesswoman


Michelle McManus (R): State senator; ex-state rep; ex-gubernatorial aide & '98 US Rep nominee


Anne Norlander (R): Calhoun County Clerk and ex-Calhoun County Commissioner


Paul Scott (R): State rep; law school student; pro-life activist


Scotty Boman (Libertarian): Community college instructor and frequent candidate


John Anthony La Pietra (Green): Attorney & '08 Calhoun County Clerk nominee


Kyle Franklin (Tea Party)

You might notice an overwhelming number of Republicans running for this position. If you're a Republican, yaaay you, because you probably voted in the primary! And kudos!

If you're not a Republican, that's probably a little extra incentive to get your voice out there.

An additional kudos for the three third-parties: Libertarian, Green, and Tea that have made their way onto the 2010 General ballot. More on third-party voting later!