Podcast: My Interview With Kim Hinkley Calhoun County Clerk

Earlier this week Michigan's Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson stated that the state government will mail all of Michigan’s 7.7 million registered voters an absentee voter application for the August and November elections.

In a statement Benson stated:

By mailing applications, we have ensured that no Michigander has to choose between their health and their right to vote. Voting by mail is easy, convenient, safe and secure, and every voter in Michigan has the right to do it.”

Former Secretary of State Ruth Johnson is questioning the logic and motive behind the administration’s plan to send every registered voter an absentee ballot. In a prepared statement she wrote:

I do question how and why this specific mailing was done right now...Local clerks are the ones who have always handled these requests, not the secretary of state.

Ms, Johnson went on to say:

Like Gov. (Gretchen Whitmer), SOS (Jocelyn Benson) seems to be taking unilateral actions with no input and questionable motives — and that is very troubling.

I contacted Kimberly A. Hinkley Calhoun County Clerk & Register of Deeds and Clerk of the 37th Circuit Court to discuss the implications from both the tremendous increase in absentee ballots that will be coming to her office and what type of controls are in place to stop any fraud that could occur.

She gave me the following numbers from Calhoun County and the November 2016 Election:

13,052 Absentee Ballots were issued
12,765 Absentee Ballots were returned
57,991 Residents voted for 57.76% turnout

The State of Michigan has 83 County Clerks, 280 city clerks & 1240 township clerks. That means that there are a total of 1,520 local election officials in Michigan.

Please listen to our discussion concerning this absentee ballot issue:

Segment 1 of 3: