Michael Siegrist (Canton Township Clerk, Michigan, candidate 2024)

Michael Siegrist

Do you have a photo that could go here? Click here to submit it for this profile!

---

Democratic Party

Candidate, Canton Township Clerk

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 6, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Michigan

Personal

Birthplace

Royal Oak, Mich.

Profession

Accounting

Submit contact information

Send Ballotpedia contact information for this person

Michael Siegrist (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Canton Township Clerk in Michigan. He was on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024.^[source]

Siegrist completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

To learn more about Ballotpedia's additional coverage of Siegrist, click here.

Biography

Michael Siegrist provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on November 30, 2024:

• Birth date: July 31, 1983
• Birth place: Royal Oak, Michigan
• High school: Plymouth-Canton High School
• Bachelor's: University of Michigan
• Graduate: Walsh College of Accountancy and Business
• Gender: Male
• Profession: Accounting
• Prior offices held:
  • Canton Township Clerk (2016-Prsnt)
  • School Board Member, Plymouth Canton Community Schools (2014-2016)
  • Canton Public Library Board Director (2008-2012)
• Incumbent officeholder: Yes

Elections

General election

General election for Canton Township Clerk

Michael Siegrist ran in the general election for Canton Township Clerk on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Michael Siegrist (D)

---

	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Canton Township Clerk

Michael Siegrist ran in the Democratic primary for Canton Township Clerk on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Michael Siegrist

---

	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Siegrist in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Michael Siegrist completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Siegrist's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have been the Canton Clerk since 2016 and am currently Second-Vice President of the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks (MAMC) and President of the Association of Wayne County Clerks.

I attended the University of Michigan and graduated with a bachelors in Political Science. While there, I interned for Congressman John Dingell and was elected to serve on the Canton Public Library Board in 2008. I earned a Master's of Science in Taxation from Walsh College of Accountancy and Business and worked at Siegrist & Siegrist, CPA.

I was elected to the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools Board of Education in 2014 and served on the Finance and Budget Committee and the Bond Oversight Committee.

My office won a Clearinghouse Award from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission for “Outstanding Innovation in Election Cybersecurity and Technology.” I was elected Township Clerk of the Year in 2021 by the over 1,500 municipal clerks in Michigan.

I earned a Certificate in Election Administration from the Humphry School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and currently serves on the advisory board for the program as a graduate. I also served on Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s Proposal 2 Implementation Committee.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Security - As Clerk and chair of the Election Commission, I oversaw the first technological upgrade in voting equipment in decades ensuring election security and integrity. New layers of protection have allowed for additional auditing measures to join with the reliability of paper ballots.
• Accessible - By performing the first township-wide redistricting in decades and expanding the absentee voter list, I was able to make it easier to vote, save taxpayer money on running elections, and reducing wait times at the polls. I also recruited multilingual and culturally diverse election workers to protect everyone’s right to vote. I believe that elections belong to the people and I'll work to ensure you feel that, too.
• Accountable - By authoring a township-wide Ethic's Ordinance and chairing the Ethic’s subcommittee, I pushed for greater accountability. Too often, whether it's in Washington, Lansing, or a township hall, some elected officials believe they are above the law. I've ensured there would be a criminal penalty for any official who violated the public trust. As secretary to the Board of Ethics, I will ensure they have the resources they need to enforce the new law.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Elections

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was hired to work at Main Street Auto Wash in Plymouth when I was 15 years old. I worked there for about a year while I was in High School and on the Canton Wrestling Team.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I am a recovering alcoholic and addict. I almost didn’t make it to my twenties. With the grace of God and finding recovery, I was able to turn my life around and begin the long, difficult process of making amends to my community and family. I know serve on the Board of Directors for Growth Works Inc, which works with at risk youth who struggle with adolescent drinking and drug use.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Detroit Public Radio investigated the Freedom of Information Act process of 129 municipalities in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties to see how well citizens could take advantage of the law that ensures local governments provide the public records they are entitled to. The Clerk’s office in Canton Township was recognized for the simple electronic process that provided information within hours, at no charge. I will continue to push for open and transparent government that instills trust.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel

External links

Search Google News for this topic