Terri Lynn Land (born June 30, 1958) is an American politician who served as the 41st Michigan Secretary of State from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Land was elected to the Republican National Committee in 2012. She was the Republican nominee for the 2014 United States Senate race in Michigan, losing in the general election to Democrat Gary Peters. Land currently serves on the Board of Governors of Wayne State University. Early life and education Land was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She grew up in Grandville, Michigan, graduating from Grandville High School, and attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in political science. In 2009, Land was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Davenport University. Politics Early political career In 1980, Land joined the Grandville Planning Commission. At age 23, Land ran for the Michigan House of Representatives, unsuccessfully challenging incumbent Democrat Jelt Sietsema. From 1992 to 2000, she was the elected Clerk of Kent County, Michigan's fourth-largest county. In 2000, with Governor John Engler's encouragement, Land ran unsuccessfully for the Michigan State Board of Education. Michigan Secretary of State In 2002, Land became Michigan's 41st Secretary of State, defeating Detroit-based attorney Melvin Hollowell 55%-43%, and took office on January 1, 2003. She and her husband contributed more than $1.9 million of their own money to her 2002 and 2006 Secretary of State campaigns. The Grand Rapids Press editorial board praised Land for her technological transformation of state services, including updates to computer systems; expansion of Web services; consolidation of branch offices and "expanded hours in new, larger locations"; and changes that for the first time allowed Michigan customers to pay fees with credit cards and renew license plate registrations through self-service stations. The Press editorial board wrote that, over the opposition of some Republicans, Land "advocated measures that would expand participation at the polls, including early voting, no-reason absentee voting and early registration for young voters." In 2005, Land's office announced an effort to use the Help America Vote Act to reduce potential voter fraud by removing names of voters who had died, moved out of Michigan, or changed their names. A New York Times investigation found that 33,000 people were removed from the rolls, while Land's office said 11,000 voters were removed. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) took Michigan to court over the removal of voter