Michigan Clerk Demands DOJ Help Purge Non-Citizens from Voter Rolls After Whistleblower Claims

Hastings Charter Township Clerk David Olson has called on the U.S. Department of Justice to assist in identifying and removing non-citizens from his local voter rolls, citing whistleblower allegations that Michigan’s Secretary of State system automatically registers them.

Olson, who serves Barry County, released a video this week stating that once the Secretary of State’s office adds someone to the statewide Qualified Voter File, local clerks have no practical way to verify citizenship. He said non-citizens who change their address through the state’s Customer and Automotive Records System can be automatically registered and then receive ballots or absentee ballots. “Once it’s in the qualified voter file, there’s no way for me to verify citizenship,” Olson said. He invited federal officials to compare records against his township rolls so he can fulfill his duty to maintain accurate lists.

The request follows a public statement by Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf. Leaf said a confidential informant from Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office provided evidence that the CARS system is programmed to congratulate and inform non-citizens that they have been registered to vote when they update an address. According to the sheriff, the employee showed the evidence to a supervisor, who responded that county clerks would catch the problem later. Leaf and Olson both say that does not happen because clerks receive the file after registration is already complete and the file itself does not flag citizenship status.

Leaf has referred the matter to the Justice Department for investigation of possible violations of federal law prohibiting non-citizens from voting. He has also urged the Michigan Legislature to act. The allegations have not been independently confirmed by state officials.

The episode occurs against a backdrop of heightened federal and state scrutiny of non-citizen voting. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office recently charged five non-citizens, plus one U.S. citizen, in connection with alleged voting in the 2024 general election after reviewing dozens of cases. The Department of Justice has separately pressed Michigan for voter-roll data and has warned Benson that knowingly retaining non-citizens on the rolls could carry criminal consequences. Benson’s office has resisted turning over unredacted statewide lists, citing privacy, and courts have so far sided with the state in related litigation. Other county clerks, including Macomb County’s Anthony Forlini, have previously flagged potential non-citizens using jury-pool data and federal databases.

Federal law already bars non-citizens from voting in federal elections, and Michigan requires an attestation of citizenship at registration. Critics of the current process argue that automatic linkages between motor-vehicle records and voter files, combined with the absence of real-time citizenship flags visible to local clerks, create vulnerabilities that are difficult to catch after the fact. Supporters of the existing system point to the small number of confirmed cases and ongoing investigations as evidence that problems are identified and addressed.

Olson’s public appeal underscores the practical limits local election officials face when the initial registration occurs at the state level. Whether the Justice Department will provide the requested assistance remains to be seen as midterm elections approach.