OAKLAND COUNTY CLERK/REGISTER

DEMOCRAT

LISA BROWN

Lisa Brown is in her third term as Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds. Prior to the county position, she served two terms in the Michigan House of Representatives. She holds a law degree from the Detroit College of law and is involved in a number of professional organizations.

Voter Fraud

Claims regarding widespread voter fraud in the November 2020 election have been investigated and debunked multiple times by both impartial observers and members of both major political parties. Michigan’s election laws mandate checks and balances for each step of the election administration process at the local, county, and state levels including mandated bipartisan election workers, Public Accuracy Tests of election equipment, and post-election audits, to name a few. This year we have referred instances of alleged forged petition signatures and allegations of attempts to vote more than once to the proper authorities. Because of the checks and balances, rare occurrences like these are discovered and reported.

Threats to clerks

Harassment and intimidation of election workers and administrators is a direct assault on our democracy and is despicable, unacceptable, and un-American. I am sad to say that both myself and my staff have been targeted by threats. Whether uttered in-person or on-line, we must take all statements seriously and work closely with law enforcement to investigate and, when applicable, prosecute those who make threats against election workers. I am hopeful that the new law that makes it a crime to intimidate or harass election workers will help deter this unacceptable behavior.

No reason absentee voting

I was proud to support Prop 18-3. Eligible voters should not have obstacles to exercise their right to vote. No reason absentee voting was especially helpful in 2020 to help voters safely cast ballots during the pandemic. Like every step in our elections, there are checks and balances when it comes to absentee voting. Our city and township clerks verify signatures on absentee envelopes. If a voter wants confirmation that their absentee ballot is counted, they can always take their absentee ballot to an early voting site or to their precinct on Election day and feed it through the tabulator themselves.

Digital/online impact to clerk’s office

Even before the pandemic, both the Oakland County Clerk and the Register of Deeds Offices have been leaders in the state for on-line services. For Circuit Court filings, over 95 percent of case types are filed electronically and the Court Explorer platform offers easy on-line access to court records. We also make available on-line tools to assist genealogy research. In our Elections Division, we have recently implemented on-line filing for campaign finance reports.The Register of Deeds “Super Index” allows for free searching and intuitive ordering of property records and the Property Records Notification (PRN) is a service I developed to keep homeowners informed of property recordings. When we took possession of a historic Oakland County atlas, we not only had it professionally preserved but also had it digitized for on-line viewing. While many applications for Vital Records require in-person visits by law, the office offers on-line searching and ordering of records and some services – like applying for a marriage license – can be initiated on-line. Making services accessible has always been a top priority for me. We must, however, recognize that not everyone is comfortable or able to conduct business on-line which is why I opened a satellite office and continue to hold Local Office Visits throughout Oakland County to help make sure that proximity to our offices in Pontiac is not an obstacle to receiving service. I expect we’ll soon be able to announce a first-in-the-nation innovation regarding expanded ability to access some services on-line, enhancing Oakland County’s reputation as a front-line innovator. Stay tuned!

Reason for running

I’m running for re-election to ensure the Oakland County Clerk/ Register of Deeds Office continues to be a model for the rest of the state. I’m proud of the innovations and collaborations I’ve implemented which have earned the office state and national accolades. During my tenure, I am particularly proud of:

● Increased protections against fraud for property owners through our Property Records Notification service, the first-of-its-kind and a statewide leading service

● Improved customer service through increased accessibility to services through local office visits in communities throughout the county, establishing a satellite office, and enhanced on-line service offerings

● Coordination with local clerks to increase transparency, save taxpayer dollars, and make our elections more secure, efficient, and cost effective via the Oakland County Absentee Voter counting board and by administering Early Voting for 45 of our Oakland County communities – the largest in the state. Democracy is a team sport.

I’m looking forward to implementing a new land records management system in the Register of Deeds Office and, as mentioned above, am hoping to unveil a first-of-its-kind innovation this fall. I also continue to work with Oakland Transit to establish bus stops at or near the county-run early voting sites. This is a challenging time for clerks for many of the reasons outlined above. Now more than ever, Oakland County needs and deserves a Clerk/ Register of Deeds with the necessary experience and expertise to navigate these changing times. I am respectfully requesting your vote so I can continue to serve the everyday citizens of Oakland County.

REPUBLICAN

BARB PALLOTTA

Barb Pollotta retired from her position as the clerk of Independence Township and has served in a number of local clerks offices in Oakland over a 25-year career.

Voter Fraud

There is a fine line between voter convenience and election integrity. I have personal experience with a father returning his out-of-state daughter’s absent voter ballot in-person on the Saturday before Election Day. When confronted by him about the signature irregularity, I provided him with the signature evidence of all the voters in his household which proved he signed his daughter’s AV envelope. I did not embarrass him and thankfully, he did not deny it. I calmly instructed him to purchase 2 USPS overnight envelopes so our office could resend her ballot and she could send it back to our office so it would be received by election day. Remember, it takes one vote to win an election and that is why both parties should be sensitive to the possibility of election irregularities. Could this situation fall under the umbrella of voter fraud? Who knows, but I would not let something like this get that far if I can stop it. This is an excellent example of why I strongly support signature verification when issuing absent voter ballots.

Threats to clerks

I have personal knowledge of a threat made to a local clerk, who was also a candidate and I also witnessed a threat made to the Director of Elections and Oakland County’s Board of Canvassers during a recount. Although, there is no excuse for this type of behavior, I was present during the recount where the room was filled with law enforcement officers and personally, I did not feel my well-being was in danger. I would only be guessing if I made a statement about why this type of narrative is raised to such a high level when reported by the media. I’ve witnessed it and haven’t seen what is being reported.

No Reason absentee voting

I absolutely support no-reason absentee voting because it was my experience that many people who wished to vote absentee had to be untruthful if none of the options fit their particular circumstance. As a former elected clerk administering elections, it is unreasonable to expect a voter to select a reason when there are numerous AV ballot safeguards in place. In terms of fraud related to absent voter ballots, nothing is perfect, but over the years it is working. However, there have been recent instances where a voter voted two ballots, one was voted AV and a second at their precinct. This flaw must be addressed by the equipment manufacturer and the State’s QVF software. I am uncomfortable with the enactment of mail-in ballots initiated by a single voter application does not have the same security and I believe they may be subject to irregularities. Lastly, although not asked, I am on the fence about early voting because I am uncertain whether the cost justifies the means.

Digital/online impact to clerk's office

One-line access for public services is nothing new and provide effective conveniences. However, they need to be assessed and audited regularly in addition to confirming that all services charged for any service merits the associated charge.

Reason for running

I see no failings, per say, with the incumbent clerk. However, there is a value in having fresh eyes on policies and procedures especially as it relates to election law legislation. All but two positions I’ve held in multiple municipalities across Oakland County were achieved because of my reputation. It appears, Oakland County’s leaders have become complacent in how taxpayer dollars are being spent. As of this writing, there is a proposal on the November general election ballot to increase its millage for 10 years while there are several communities simultaneously having requesting funds for their roads.