Barb Byrum (She/Her)

Ingham County Clerk

About this speaker

Barb Byrum is currently serving in her third term as Ingham County Clerk, acting as the county’s chief elections official. As Clerk of one of the most populous counties in the State of Michigan, Byrum has successfully conducted 31 elections, 7 union elections, and was one of only a handful of counties to complete the 2016 Presidential Recount. Since 2016, Byrum has been credentialed as a Certified Elections/Registration Administrator by Election Center, the only national program of continuing professional education that specializes in elections administration and voter registration. In 2017, she served on Election Center’s Security Task Force. Byrum lent her expertise to Michigan’s Election Security Commission, the Secretary of State’s team of advisors tasked with strengthening and better securing elections in the state. In 2014, following a US District Court ruling that Michigan’s ban on same sex marriage was unconstitutional, Byrum married the first same sex couple in Michigan. Byrum was selected to represent election officials and administrators in the Faces of Democracy, an advocacy group dedicated to sharing the stories of dedicated election officials with legislators in Congress. She has also been a fierce advocate with the #HateWontWin campaign in Michigan. Byrum has been a consistent advocate for the voting rights of qualified, registered voters with a focus on historically disenfranchised voters. She is a member of the Overseas Voting Initiative, a collaboration between the Council of State Governments and the US Department of Defense to improve the process of voting by members of the military and civilians living abroad. Byrum previously served three terms as the Michigan State Representative, serving House District 67. During her time in the Legislature, Byrum served as the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Redistricting and Elections. Byrum graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agribusiness Management and holds a law degree from MSU College of Law.

Contact This Speaker

Talks

IN PERSON/ HYBRID: Voting & Fighting Back- The Importance of the 2022 elections to Trans Rights

Jay Kaplan (he/him) Barb Byrum (She/Her) Amritha Venkataraman (she/her)