Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson spoke to an audience of nearly 50 last Tuesday at the Oxford Public Library at an event hosted by the Rotary Club of Oxford.

Johnson gave Oxford residents an update on a number of projects at the state level, including a current effort to increase the use of ExpressSOS.com and SOS Kiosks to shorten office lines, increasing registration to Michigan’s Gift of Life organ and tissue program and raising awareness for motorcycle safety on the road.

With the Nov. 8 election fast-approaching, Johnson also addressed concerns of an unfair voting system, asserting that Michigan has one of the best states in the nation at getting qualified voters to register.

When Johnson first took office as Michigan Secretary of State in 2011, she said there were more voters registered than there should be, having had 102.5 percent of Michigan residents listed in the system as “registered voters.”

Since then, Johnson said her team has worked tirelessly to clean that list up in an effort to prevent voter fraud—ensuring that only qualified voters remained on the list.

“(Over) the last few years, (we’ve) removed 889,000 people who were dead, had moved or were non-citizens. The idea is, if you’re not supposed to vote, you need to be off (the qualified voter list). If you’re eligible, we work very hard to get you registered to vote so you can have your voice heard,” said Johnson.

Johnson added that, as of Oct. 3, the Secretary of State has seen a 58 percent rise in people voting absentee since she first took office.

“We think this year, if the trend continues as it is in absentees, we’ll see an increase in more people participating (in the election), which is really important,” Johnson told this reporter.

“It’s not a spectator sport. The hardest part is getting the information, so you know who to vote for. Don’t read a piece of (literature) and think it might be legitimate. (Voting responsibly) is not an easy job.”

To help Oxford residents become more informed voters, she also recommended visiting michigan.gov/vote.

The website allows Michigan voters to view samples of their ballot, provides information on polling locations and offers other voting resources.

At the end of her speech, Johnson also took a moment to recognize Joe Bullen, a 16-year member of the Rotary Club, for his contributions to the Village of Oxford and to the state of Michigan.

She recalled meeting Bullen 28 years ago while she was running for a position on the Oakland County Board of Commissioners. Since then, she told those in attendance, she had watched Bullen serve both as a community role model and as a strong public servant.

Bullen served as a basketball coach at Oxford Christian Academy for 24 years and nine years at Lake Orion Baptist School. He has also served as Oxford Village Councilman and President, a chairman of Oxford’s Zoning Board of Appeals and currently serves as chairman of the Oxford Beautification Commission.

“As a public servant, he has dedicated himself to enhancing the quality of life for citizens of the Village of Oxford… (He’s) advanced the community through his work with the rotary club of Oxford. (I want to) honor Joe Bullen for his tireless devotion to making this community and the state a better place,” said Johnson in closing.