Secretary of State Johnson says voting fraud an honest ‘mistake’

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Secretary of State Ruth Johnson, in a recent television interview, conceded that Michigan voter fraud is not widespread and that many people who fraudulently cast a ballot mistakenly believe they are eligible to vote.

"I don't believe it is widespread," Johnson said on Friday’s “Off The Record” broadcast by WKAR Public Television.

Republicans have complained about voter fraud for years and Johnson told the Off the Record panel that there are plenty of reports out there suggesting that fraud is still an issue, according to the MIRS newsletter. The difficulty is putting a number on it.
Johnson, a Republican first elected in 2010, said federal officials have told the Secretary of State’s Office that 20 Michigan cities have more registered voters than people.

But she also believes that many non-citizens in the state may be voting "by mistake" because they innocently signed up to vote when they applied for a driver license.
Under the so-called Motor Voter Law, the federal government requires the state’s SOS branch offices to offer voter registration to their customers. Michigan had its own version of a Motor Voter law long before the federal mandate.

Johnson explained that many people are confused by the offer and think they should register to vote even when they are not citizens.