Barbara Byrum, Michigan

Barbara Byrum is the Ingham County Clerk and a Democratic candidate for Michigan Secretary of State in 2026. A Michigan State University graduate with a law degree from the same institution, she served six years in the Michigan House of Representatives before being elected clerk in 2012, and has since administered over 40 elections and multiple recounts. She gained national attention in 2014 for performing one of the first same-sex marriages in Michigan, and previously owned and operated an Ace Hardware store in Charlotte. She is running on a platform of election security, voter accessibility, and modernizing government services.