Election officials and voting rights organizations emphasized the nonpartisan work going into election protection four days ahead of Election Day.
Those assurances were particularly relevant the day after a non-citizen was caught casting a ballot during early voting in Ann Arbor (See Gongwer Michigan Report October 30, 2024). Although that individual is facing criminal charges and potential deportation, the state’s structure of its same-day registration system has been called into question because there is no mechanism to void the ballot.
“In Michigan, we have a secure an accurate election system, and in recent elections Michiganders have gone to the ballot box to expand access to voting,” said Roland Leggett, election protection manager for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters Education Fund Democracy for All Team.
Domonique Clemons, Genesee County clerk and register of deeds, said that clerks across the state are dedicated to carrying out a secure and accurate election.
“There are hundreds of steps and procedures that our clerks are following to make sure that the integrity of our election is intact, and that’s no small task,” Clemons said. “This is a critical election for the voters as well as the clerks in all 83 counties… these are our neighbors. These are our friends. These are our colleagues. They have been training consistently to make sure that we are fully prepared.”
Clemons said that Michigan uses paper ballots, which means that every vote has a physical record, allowing errors to be caught and corrected before or at the county canvass. He also called attention to the importance of certified election challengers to make sure that every check and balance is in place.
One of the major disputes after the 2020 election was the near refusal of the Republican members on the Wayne County Board of Canvassers to certify the votes there. New laws enacted since then limit the powers of the boards to oversight of the canvass, making it clear they have no authority to do more.
“After the election, the bipartisan County Board of Canvassers, who is appointed by the Board of Commissioners, will compare our physical tabulation records to the unofficial results that are produced on Election Night, and they’re going to correct any errors before certifying the election to make sure that everything ‘s done right and make our results official,” he said. “The role of the Board of Canvassers is to double check all of the math and procedures to make sure that forms are filled out in the certification process. And that role is clearly defined in our state law.”
ACLU Michigan Executive Director Loren Khogali underscored that every county board of canvassers has a legal obligation to certify any election based solely on returns.
“The law does not authorize members of Boards of Canvassers to withhold certification based upon speculation, theories or even evidence pertaining to the accuracy of reported returns,” she said. “There are alternative methods that are available to raise those concerns over the course of this election, and the ACLU will be carefully monitoring the activities of Boards of Canvassers through November.”
Paula Bowman, co-president of the League of Women Voters Michigan, said that her organization would also be monitoring the canvassing process.
“We all have a role to play to ensure our elections are accurate and transparent and every vote is counted,” she said.
Shira Roza, elections protection director for Promote the Vote Michigan, said that Michigan voters have taken advantage of early voting opportunities provided by Proposal 2018-3 and Proposal 2022-2.
“Voters now have more opportunities for registration and more options for voting than ever before,” she said.
As of Wednesday evening, more than 1.7 million voters had already returned their absentee ballots, and more than 620,000 voters had already voted at an early voting site. That means more than 32 percent of registered voters have cast a ballot in the election, Rosa said.
Roza also highlighted the ability to process and tabulate absentee ballots before election day, which will result in a more reasonable workload for polls workers on Election Day and earlier results.
Dessa Cosma, executive director for Detroit Disability Power, an organization focused on building political power among those with disabilities, discussed voting accessibility.
“Disabled voters have the right to vote no matter their disability type or their guardianship status,” she said. “Disabled votes have the right to vote privately and independently. We have the right to accessible voting locations and absentee voting. We have the right to get assistance with filling out and casting our ballot, so long as it’s not our employer or our union rep helping us.
Pastor Velma Jean Overman of Operation Refuge, who works in western Wayne County to increase civil and civic engagement and is the first vice president of Western Wayne County NAACP, said that access to voting was key to representation.
“It takes all of us to do this work and to deliver this robust participation in our safe and accurate elections, and we are going to be at work in these last days before Election Day and beyond,” she said. “Democracy belongs to all of us.”
– By Elena Durnbaugh
