by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News August 21, 2026
A whistleblower inside the Michigan Secretary of State’s office has come forward with evidence alleging the state’s computer system is automatically registering noncitizens to vote when they update their addresses, Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf said.
In a video statement on Tuesday, Leaf said: “The confidential informant provided evidence that the customer and automotive records system is programmed to congratulate and inform noncitizens that they are registered to vote.”
Leaf said his office has referred the matter to the U.S. Department of Justice.
According to Leaf, the informant provided evidence involving the Secretary of State’s Customer and Automotive Records System (CARS).
The current Michigan Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson, is running as a Democrat for governor in this year’s midterms.
Benson continues to fight the Trump Administration’s efforts to examine Michigan’s voter rolls to ensure the state is complying with federal voter-list-maintenance laws – including requirements that only eligible voters remain on the rolls.
CARS is the Michigan Secretary of State’s computer system used to manage driver and vehicle records. It handles information tied to driver’s licenses and state IDs, vehicle titles and registrations, and customer address changes. Because Secretary of State transactions can also involve voter-registration opportunities under state and federal law, information processed through CARS interacts with Michigan’s voter-registration procedures.
Leaf said the informant brought proof to a supervisor and was allegedly told county clerks would identify the noncitizens.
According to the sheriff, there’s just one problem: “Unfortunately, ladies and gentlemen, this is not true.” Leaf said county clerks receive access to the Qualified Voter File (QVF) only after a person has been registered. He added that the voter file “does not designate a citizenship status.”
Leaf alleges the supposed backstop isn’t much of a backstop if the information needed to catch the problem isn’t there.
Asked on Newsmax about the Michigan whistleblower allegations brought to light by Leaf, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said: “If that’s true, that is definitely out of whack with our federal election statutes, and I will certainly be looking into that.”
In July, Dhillon sent letters to all 50 states warning that election officials who knowingly retain noncitizens on voter rolls or facilitate their voting could potentially face criminal liability.
Dhillon added that the DOJ has opened “numerous investigations around the country” involving election-related reports and said those investigations “will not stop.”
