By Sec. of State Jocelyn Benson, Guest Contributor
As Michigan’s Secretary of State, I proudly serve as the state’s chief election administrator. However, I believe the role carries with it an unofficial, yet essential secondary title – chief educator of voters. That means it’s not only my job to facilitate our elections but to help Michiganders understand their voting rights, the options for casting a ballot and, when necessary, shed light on the elections process.
Since 2020, the Department of State has consistently communicated to voters, the media, voter information organizations, and the public, that it may take several hours for counties to report unofficial election results. This process takes time because of numerous built-in bi-partisan checks and controls to ensure each absentee ballot submitted is in fact from that voter and is the only ballot assigned to that voter.
While state lawmakers recently enacted legislation allowing clerks to begin processing and tabulating absentee ballots early, larger cities like Detroit may still receive large numbers of absentee ballots up until 8 p.m. on Election Night. Receiving and processing absentee ballot envelopes – which includes checking in each voter on the Qualified Voter File, signature verification, and other security measures – may take a number of hours before the counting board is able to tabulate ballots and report results. Because of this added work, voters, media and election observers should expect delays in reporting results for the most populous regions of the state.
Election officials will always prioritize accuracy over speed when reporting unofficial results. We continue to work with local officials to identify new and innovative ways to speed up the process, but we will never do so at the expense of making sure the count is accurate.
We know that politically motivated people or groups will try to exploit any length of time between polls closing and the reporting of results as some kind of sign of potential wrongdoing.
That’s why it’s more important than ever for Michigan citizens and news outlets to make sure they rely on official sources of information for all questions about election procedures and trust that our state’s robust security processes ensure accurate results.
Michigan’s elections are carried out by more than 1,600 clerks and thousands more high-integrity, civic minded election workers. These individuals work election sites in the communities in which they live. They are our friends, neighbors, and family members, and because of their willingness to step up and serve – they should be respected leaders in the community.
In the months ahead, I encourage everyone to seek out trusted information from reliable sources like Michigan.gov/Vote and your county and municipal clerk’s offices. I ask that individuals who may be skeptical of vote counting procedures, first seek to truly understand the democratic process, and then have patience as that process plays out.
Help us debunk harmful misinformation, whether it comes from a former President or a current candidate that is unhappy with election results. This is how we can work together to protect the integrity of our elections. We stand together understanding the process and rejecting scare tactics. Michigan voters can have well-placed faith that every Michigan election is carried out with strict adherence to the rule of law and the principles of democracy.
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