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"February 2025 Newsletter"
Clerk Forlini
"ON THE ROAD WITH TONY..."
Welcome to our February newsletter. This month we focus on how we've improved the public's confidence in the election process between the 2020 and 2024 Presidential Elections.
We believe the Macomb County Clerk's Office has set a new standard for the security and integrity of our elections. Some of the highlights include:
* The first county in the state to turn off the modems that sent tabulator election results through the internet.
* The only county in Michigan to do a forensic audit of the election server following the 2020 elections.
* The first ever countywide election worker training to assist local clerks.
* The first-ever Campaign Finance Electronic Filing System.
* Adding watermarks to all tabulator paper ballots before the 2024 Presidential Election.
Tony Signature
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"February Visits Include Mount Clemens Kiwanis Club, American Polish Century Club"
Clerk Forlini Visits Mount Clemens Kiwanis
We were on the road talking to local groups this month. The Mount Clemens Kiwanis Club hosted Clerk Forlini to talk about all the changes in our Election Department since the 2020 elections.
Clerk Forlini speaks at the Polish Century Club
Later that evening we spoke at the American Polish Century Club in Sterling Heights regarding our Fraud Notify system. Recently we passed 12,000 residents enrolled in our Fraud Notify. This is in contrast to approximately 1,200 that were signed up when Clerk Forlini took office four years ago.
If you haven’t signed up for our Fraud Notify system you can do that by CLICKING HERE [ [link removed] ].
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"*Changes Made After 2020 Election Help Restore Confidence in Elections Process*"
Watermarked ballots
*Photo: Macomb County Clerk Anthony G. Forlini (left) and Chief Election Clerk Michael Grix displaying a watermarked paper ballot. (A portion of the ballot has a lightbox behind it to magnify the watermark.)*
After the 2020 Presidential Election, there was a growing perception in Macomb County and around the entire country that the elections process was not to be trusted.
How many times did we hear, "The election was stolen," We don't trust elections," We need a forensic audit," or "Give us transparency!"?
Allegations were being made of tabulator tampering, foreign interference and media bias. Honestly, many questions couldn’t be answered.
When Clerk Forlini took office, one of the first things he did was make Macomb County the first county in the state to turn off the modems during elections.
Then Macomb County was the first county in the state to conduct a forensic audit of its election servers, which included HASH validation. This allowed the Clerk’s Office to set up new enhanced security protocols for future elections.
Ben Cotton of Cyfir Technology said at the time, "I think what Clerk Forlini is doing here is probably the forerunner to what every jurisdiction across the nation will be doing in 10 years."
Clerk Forlini then pioneered a program recruiting and training hundreds of Election workers to help local clerks with their elections. We believe competent workers are the backbone to protect our election process.
The office also introduced the first-ever Campaign Finance Electronic Filing System, which reduces unneeded bureaucracy, saving the county money and helping to make campaign finance reports more accurate and easier to be compliant.
Before the 2024 Presidential Election, Clerk Forlini added watermarks to all tabulator ballots. Each ballot, when held up to light, reveals the watermark: “Official Ballot.”
The security of the watermark comes from it being embedded into the fibers of the ballot paper during the milling process, as opposed to it simply being printed onto the paper.
We believe the Macomb County Clerk's Office has set a new standard for the security and integrity of our elections,” said Clerk Forlini. “All these changes have helped restore confidence in our elections.”
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"Certified Copies of Real Estate Records"
Real Estate Search [ [link removed] ]
Did you know you can order certified copies of recorded documents online on the Register of Deeds website [ [link removed] ]?
Your certified copies will be mailed to you. The fee for a certified copy is $5 for the search, $5 for certification and $1 per page (based on the number of pages of the document).
After searching for your document (using the basic search [ [link removed] ]), simply add a document to your "cart." When the pop-up screen appears, make sure to enter on the second line item, the number of certified copies requested (CERTIFIED COPIES - ROD $$).
BEGIN YOUR SEARCH [ [link removed] ]
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"*V I D E O F E A T U R E*"
"**"Click image to play video"**"
Play Call to Jury Duty video [ [link removed] ]
"CALL TO JURY DUTY!"
We know Jury Service comes with a bit of anxiety for some people. This video is our attempt to take away some of the mystery and put jurors at ease. Macomb County Clerk Anthony G. Forlini and 16th Judicial Circuit Court Chief Judge James M. Biernat, Jr., lead a "star-studded" cast in the movie trailer “Call to Jury Duty.”
CLICK HERE [ [link removed] ] to see Video Feature.
CLICK HERE [ [link removed] ] to visit our Jury Room web page.
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"Great Service in Time for Valentine's Day"
Court staff member Jean Craft
Valentine's Day brought flowers all over the Circuit Court building from those we love. But the flowers that came before Valentine's Day were very special... They came from a happy customer in an unhappy situation. Jean Craft took special care, and her sunshine made an impact on this person. So much so that flowers were sent to Jean to show appreciation for great service.
Great job, Jeannie!
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"VOTE!"
"Mount Clemens Schools Bond Proposal
Tuesday, May 6, 2025"
The next election in Macomb County is Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Mount Clemens Community Schools will have a Bond Proposal on the ballot. CLICK HERE [ [link removed] ] for full text of the proposal.
Additionally, most cities in Macomb County will hold city elections in 2025. Candidates interested in filing for city office should contact their city clerk's office.
For more information, visit macombgov.org/elections [ [link removed] ]
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Black History Month 2025
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macombgov.org/clerksoffice [ [link removed] ]
*"Contact the Clerk!"*
*direct line: 586-469-7939*
*email:
[email protected] <
[email protected]>*
*facebook.com/MacombCountyClerkRegisterOfDeeds*
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2022 Tony Forlini Photo
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