By VICTOR WOODDELL
Capital News Service
LANSING – In Michigan, votes are tabulated by local officials, such as city or township clerks, who say they are well prepared for this upcoming election.
With Nov. 5 approaching, they say they’re confident in the integrity of the state’s election system.
There will likely be more scrutiny of the process this year than in the past, said Brenda Katerberg, the Holland city clerk, because Michigan is a swing state and the presidential election promises to be close.
Voters have been cooperative, Katerberg said, although clerks sometimes do get demanding phone calls such as from people asking, “Why is it done that way?”
She urged voters to show courtesy to election workers.
“We are professionals, serving you,” she reminds them. “Sometimes people call us, and they didn’t fill out the form correctly, so they want us to send it back.”
But the system doesn’t work like that, she said. Once a ballot arrives at the clerk’s office, it can’t be released again.
Voters have many questions about new options for early voting, said Shauna Chavez, the Coldwater Township clerk.
The state now allows voters to cast ballots at early voting sites for a minimum of nine consecutive days ending the Sunday before the election.
So far, most voters seem well-informed, and she said she expects the public to become more comfortable in the future with using those options.
Ludington City Clerk Deborah Luskin said more people are walking up to the counter in her office and asking questions. While the number of registered voters is up this year, she said, the number of volunteers she has to work at poll locations has kept up.
According to Katerberg, many of her volunteers have continued to be involved from previous elections. “I have some workers who have over 10 years experience doing this.”
Ensuring the integrity of the process is a concern, all three officials said, but they are taking steps to meet the challenge.
For example, poll workers are carefully trained and voting equipment is kept up to date, they said.
“Ludington was one of the pilot test sites for early voting back in November of 2023,” Luskin said, “and then again in February,” so her staff is more familiar with that process than most other locations.
Katerberg said city clerk employees in Holland have been meeting with county officials and generating “what-if” plans.
Her office is ready for anything from extreme weather to fires and even tornadoes, and has specific plans in case of an “active threatening incident,” she said.
Coldwater Township is supportive of staff training, said Chavez, who has certifications from both the state and the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks.
Ensuring that voters of both political parties regard the election as fair is also a concern, according to the three clerks, who said they are confident that they can meet that standard.
According to Chavez, a minimum of three poll workers are required at each location, including at least one Republican and one Democrat.
Since her township’s residents are mostly Republicans, it has been a challenge to find enough Democrats to participate, she acknowledged. Only nine of her 30 election inspectors are Democrats, but she is continuing efforts to recruit more.
In addition, Chavez said, the Secretary of State’s Office maintains a Qualified Voter File, which tracks people who move into or out of a polling district. That way, only those who are qualified in a particular district can vote there.
In Holland, as in other communities, there are arrangements to accommodate anyone who wishes to observe the ballots being tabulated, Katerberg said, with at least one chairperson per location to answer questions.
Ludington will have a public demonstration of new tabulators on Sept. 26, according to Luskin.
She said the early voting option should make it easier on election staff.
Chavez agrees. “The process is slower so there is more time to fix things,” she says.
The state’s Michigan.gov/vote website contains a wide range of information on this year’s election, including how to apply online for an absentee ballot, procedures for election challengers to follow, types of post-election audits and canvassing processes. There is also a portal for reporting election misinformation.
Chavez had this advice for worried voters: “Trust in the process. But if you have any doubts or concerns, then volunteer to become an election inspector.”
“I had one voter who contacted me,” she said, because “his deceased mother had received an absentee ballot.” Once she looked into the situation, it turned out that the document was only an application, not a ballot.
“She could never have actually voted,” Chavez said.