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.

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 a long-time incumbent 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.

Secretary of State[edit]

As secretary of state, Johnson has made improving customer service, strengthening Michigan elections, protecting consumers and increasing the number of people on the Michigan Organ Donor Registry the top priorities of the Michigan Department of State.^[4]

Johnson tripled the number of Secretary of State services available online at 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.^[5]

In 2014, Michigan was named the best state in the nation for registering qualified U.S. citizens at state motor-vehicle offices, according to USA Today.^[6] Also in 2014, the University of Michigan’s Center for Local, State and Urban Policy found that the Secretary of State’s Office was rated the second best state agency for job performance by community leaders.^[7] That same year, the state’s Mackinac Bridge license plate was named the best designed plate in the world.^[8]

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 54 percent. Johnson directed office staff to ask customers if they wanted to join the registry. During her time in office, Michigan added 2.1 million people to the donor registry.^[9] Michigan is now one of the top 10 states for organ donor registration growth.