Chris Swope was elected Lansing City Clerk and took office on January 1, 2006, as the first openly gay elected city official in the State of Michigan and has been serving the citizens of Lansing City ever since. Prior to serving the citizens of Lansing, Chris had a long and distinguished history of public service having served as an Ingham County Commissioner, and worked in the Michigan House of Representatives and Michigan Senate.

Chris Swope has served twice as the President of the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks; he also serves on the Legislative Committee and represents the association on the Council of Election Officials. He is also has served twice as President of the Capital Area Municipal Clerks Association and is currently on the Board.

As a Certified Master Municipal Clerk, Chris is considered an expert in election administration often piloting new equipment, computer programming, and auditing procedures. Clerk Swope is a member of Michigan's Election Modernization Advisory Committee. In 2011, Chris was recognized as City Clerk of the Year by the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks.

In addition to being a small business owner, Chris serves the community in other capacities as a member of the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, and the Lansing Rotary Club.

Chris Swope has also devoted time and energy to the community and non-profit organizations. He has served on the Boards of both the Eastside Neighborhood Organization and the Westside Neighborhood Association. He is a past President of the Lansing Association for Human Rights (LAHR). He has sat on the Board of the Lansing Branch American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). He served two years as the Executive Director of Michigan Equality (now Equality Michigan), a statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization.