Ruth Johnson
| Ruth Johnson | |
|---|---|
| 42nd Secretary of State of Michigan | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2011 |
|
| Governor | Rick Snyder |
| Preceded by | Terri Lynn Land |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 8, 1955 Holly, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Don Nanney |
| Alma mater | Oakland University Wayne State University |
| Website | Government website |
Ruth Johnson (born January 8, 1955[1]) is the Secretary of State of Michigan. She is a former member of the Michigan House of Representatives and the 2006 Republican candidate for lieutenant governor as the running mate of Dick DeVos.
As secretary of state, Johnson has made improving customer service at Secretary of State offices, protecting consumers and expanding the number of people on Michigan Organ Donor Registry her top priorities.
Contents
Background
Johnson, of Holly, a former public school teacher and small business owner, was clerk and register of deeds of Oakland County, a suburban area immediately north of Detroit with a population of more than one million, prior to her election as secretary of state in November 2010.[2][3] She was elected clerk of Oakland County in 2004 after defeating long-time incumbent William "Doc" Caddell in the Republican primary, and was the first woman clerk in Oakland County's 176-year history. From 1988 to 1998, she was a member of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners.
Johnson was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 1998, and re-elected in 2000 and 2002; term limits made her ineligible for a fourth term.
As secretary of state, Johnson worked to expand online services with the launch of https://onlineservices.michigan.gov/ExpressSOS. She also implemented MI-TIME Line, a new line management tool at some of the busiest Secretary of State offices. The service allows customers to hold their place in line electronically while they stay home or run errands.[4]
Because of a change Johnson made to her office's policy, the number of Michigan residents who have joined the Michigan Organ Donor Registry has doubled to more than 50 percent. Johnson directed office staff to ask customers if they wanted to join the registry.[5]
2014 Secretary of State election
In 2014, Johnson defeated Detroit lawyer Godfrey Dillard to earn a second term by 10.6 percentage points, receiving 1,649,047 votes to his 1,323,004. She drew more votes than any other Republican candidate on the ballot. [6]
2010 Secretary of State election
In 2010, she won the Republican nomination for secretary of state at the party's state convention. Her opponents were Paul Scott, Michelle McManus, Anne Norlander and Cameron Brown. She went on to win the general election defeating Democrat Jocelyn Benson, Libertarian Scotty Boman, Green John Anthony La Pietra, and US Taxpayer Robert Gale.[7]
References
- ↑ Michigan Manual 2001-2002, p. 232
- ↑ "Michigan Live, Nov. 2011"
- ↑ "2012 Official Michigan Election Results"
- ↑ http://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,4670,7-127-1640_9150-370931--,00.html
- ↑ http://www.michigan.gov/som/0,4669,7-192-47796-360150--,00.html
- ↑ http://miboecfr.nictusa.com/election/results/14GEN/#03000000
- ↑ http://miboecfr.nictusa.com/election/results/10GEN/03000000.html
External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Secretary of State of Michigan 2011–present |
Incumbent |
