By Nick Smith
Gongwer New Service
Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini says multiple noncitizens voted in past elections and called for changes to the state’s processes for individuals obtaining a driver’s license or registering to vote.
During a press conference earlier this month, Forlini, who is also a Republican candidate for secretary of state, said more than 200 people requested dismissal from jury duty in Macomb County in recent months due to not being citizens.
To qualify to serve on a jury, one must be a United States resident, be at least 18 years old, be a resident of the county in which they are summoned and not have a felony on their record. Jurors must also be able to understand English and be able to physically and mentally handle jury duties.
“How this is possible that non-citizens were even given the opportunity to be in the jury booth?” Forlini said. “This has caused our office to have an unreasonable amount of bureaucratic time to process and remove people from jury duty that never should have been on the list to begin with.”
Monika Rittner, a supervisor in the clerk’s office, said staff compared names on the jury duty pool list between Sept. 5, 2025, and January 8, 2026, with the Qualified Voter File, and that 239 had self-reported themselves as non-citizens.
Of these, 14 were registered to vote, of which 10 are still listed on the voter rolls. Three individuals had a history of voting, and one appeared to have voted several times but has been removed from the voter rolls.
Forlini said the cases of those who have voted are being forwarded to authorities for investigation.
“It is important for us to understand the scope of the problem as we press forward in finding a solution to this very important problem,” Forlini said. “Election accuracy, integrity and security are our primary objectives.”
Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller, who formerly served as secretary of state, outlined efforts she undertook while serving to develop the Qualified Voter File. She said the purpose was to help maintain a more accurate, updated voter registration list.
“It is so important that we maintain the integrity of our system, not just for voter registration but for our jury duty,” Miller said. “We want citizens to participate in both things. Citizens, citizens being the operative phrase there.”
Department of State spokesperson Cheri Hardmon in a statement said jury pools are drawn from the state’s driver’s license database, not the QVF, and those legally present in the U.S. can get a driver’s license or Michigan state identification card.
“The Michigan Department of State regularly investigates reports of voting fraud and will make referrals to law enforcement for further investigation if merited.” Hardmon said. “If the clerk ever has concerns about data he is viewing in QVF, we have asked him to reach out to the Bureau of Elections so we can investigate.”
Rep. Joe Aragona, R-Clinton Township, said the matter is a serious one he believes should be taken up by the House Oversight Committee.
Forlini said the secretary of state’s office needs to verify all applications to vote against federal databases.
He said people may be slipping through the cracks due to misunderstanding the questions during the driver’s license and voter registration processes or incorrect self-reporting by mistake.
“There really needs to be a better system to check who these people are. Are they on the voter rolls because they’re citizens, or are they on the voter rolls because they self-check themselves in?” Forlini said.
Monday’s press conference is not the first time there have been alarms raised on the possibility of non-citizens voting in Michigan.
In the 2024 election, it was found that a University of Michigan student and Chinese national had voted in that year’s general election. A review by the Department of State found that 16 non-citizens voted in 2024, or about 0.00028% of the more than 5.7 million votes cast in the general election that year.
Gongwer New Service
Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini says multiple noncitizens voted in past elections and called for changes to the state’s processes for individuals obtaining a driver’s license or registering to vote.
During a press conference earlier this month, Forlini, who is also a Republican candidate for secretary of state, said more than 200 people requested dismissal from jury duty in Macomb County in recent months due to not being citizens.
To qualify to serve on a jury, one must be a United States resident, be at least 18 years old, be a resident of the county in which they are summoned and not have a felony on their record. Jurors must also be able to understand English and be able to physically and mentally handle jury duties.
“How this is possible that non-citizens were even given the opportunity to be in the jury booth?” Forlini said. “This has caused our office to have an unreasonable amount of bureaucratic time to process and remove people from jury duty that never should have been on the list to begin with.”
Monika Rittner, a supervisor in the clerk’s office, said staff compared names on the jury duty pool list between Sept. 5, 2025, and January 8, 2026, with the Qualified Voter File, and that 239 had self-reported themselves as non-citizens.
Of these, 14 were registered to vote, of which 10 are still listed on the voter rolls. Three individuals had a history of voting, and one appeared to have voted several times but has been removed from the voter rolls.
Forlini said the cases of those who have voted are being forwarded to authorities for investigation.
“It is important for us to understand the scope of the problem as we press forward in finding a solution to this very important problem,” Forlini said. “Election accuracy, integrity and security are our primary objectives.”
Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller, who formerly served as secretary of state, outlined efforts she undertook while serving to develop the Qualified Voter File. She said the purpose was to help maintain a more accurate, updated voter registration list.
“It is so important that we maintain the integrity of our system, not just for voter registration but for our jury duty,” Miller said. “We want citizens to participate in both things. Citizens, citizens being the operative phrase there.”
Department of State spokesperson Cheri Hardmon in a statement said jury pools are drawn from the state’s driver’s license database, not the QVF, and those legally present in the U.S. can get a driver’s license or Michigan state identification card.
“The Michigan Department of State regularly investigates reports of voting fraud and will make referrals to law enforcement for further investigation if merited.” Hardmon said. “If the clerk ever has concerns about data he is viewing in QVF, we have asked him to reach out to the Bureau of Elections so we can investigate.”
Rep. Joe Aragona, R-Clinton Township, said the matter is a serious one he believes should be taken up by the House Oversight Committee.
Forlini said the secretary of state’s office needs to verify all applications to vote against federal databases.
He said people may be slipping through the cracks due to misunderstanding the questions during the driver’s license and voter registration processes or incorrect self-reporting by mistake.
“There really needs to be a better system to check who these people are. Are they on the voter rolls because they’re citizens, or are they on the voter rolls because they self-check themselves in?” Forlini said.
Monday’s press conference is not the first time there have been alarms raised on the possibility of non-citizens voting in Michigan.
In the 2024 election, it was found that a University of Michigan student and Chinese national had voted in that year’s general election. A review by the Department of State found that 16 non-citizens voted in 2024, or about 0.00028% of the more than 5.7 million votes cast in the general election that year.
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