Barb Byrum announces campaign for Michigan Secretary of State
Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum is running for Michigan Secretary of State in the 2026 election cycle.
Current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, is term limited and unable to run for re-election. Benson has already announced her intentions to run for state governor in the next election cycle.
The Michigan Secretary of State office responsibilities include voter registration and related election details; along with vehicle registration, driver licenses and state identification card logistics that are managed through SOS branch offices statewide.
"I'm running for Secretary of State because I believe elections should be fair, secure and accessible for voters today and in future generations, and that Michiganders deserve an exceptional customer service experience at every Secretary of State office," Byrum said in her announcement.
Byrum served six years in the Michigan House of Representatives, during which she was Chair of the Agriculture Committee and the Insurance Committee, Democratic Vice Chair of the Redistricting and Elections Committee, and Chair of the Democratic Caucus.
She was then elected Ingham County Clerk in 2012, where her duties included handling election matters at the local level. During the years since, she has run 40 elections and several recounts. She was one of the first local clerks in Michigan to complete the 2016 presidential recount.
During a brief time in 2014 when same-sex marriage was legalized in Michigan amid the appeal of the Obergefell v. Hodges case, Byrum opened her office and conducted one of the first same-sex marriage ceremonies in the State of Michigan.
Byrum is also a former small business owner, who owned and operated Byrum Ace Hardware in Charlotte for 18 years.
"Election officials like me take great pride in ensuring that our elections are secure and that every qualified, registered voter can easily exercise their right to vote," said Byrum. "I fight back against those who would seek to make it harder to vote and those who attack our democratic process because our democracy is worth fighting for. As Michigan's next Secretary of State, I will ensure that Michigan will continue to run free, fair and secure elections, as we have these many years."
