During January and February, our office conducted post-election audits for the November 2022 General Election in precincts and absent voter counting boards across the County. Roughly 10% of precincts from each election are randomly selected by the Secretary of State’s office. For this election, our office audited:
• Allendale Township, Precinct 1
• Blendon Township, Precinct 2
• City of Coopersville, Precinct 2
• Georgetown Township, Precincts 14 and 15
• Grand Haven Township, Precinct 4
• Polkton Township, Precinct 1
• Port Sheldon Township, Precinct 1
• Robinson Township, Precinct 2
• Tallmadge Township, Precinct 1
• Wright Township, Precinct 1
The audit process utilizes a 77-point checklist and includes a hand count of ballots. The checklist is used to verify a variety of items that occur before, during and after an election. A few items that are verified include election workers were trained and both major parties were represented, equipment was tested and counted ballots accurately, applications to vote were completed and matched the number of ballots cast, and that ballots and election materials were sealed and stored properly. The hand count of ballots ensures that the number of ballots matches the number of ballots cast on election day as well as a comparison of results from the totals tape printed on election night. For the November 2022 General Election audit, we verified that the results matched for the Governor’s race. Our local clerks and election officials across the County accomplished an extremely accurate and successful election and we’re proud of their hard work!
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 A critical part of the Clerk/Register’s Office Vision Statement is to “create a positive, caring and engaging environment for our employees.” During the months of January and February, we focused on the development of our staff by participating in the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment coaching. The StrengthsFinder assessment is tool that measures the intensity of our innate strengths, categorized into 34 themes. Each member of our team met with a dedicated coach to individually learn about their top five strengths and how they can utilize these in the workplace and at home. To expand on these personal insights, we then met with our smaller teams and started to build an even more thorough understanding of what motivates our team members, why they do what they do, and how we can utilize each other’s strengths in our everyday work. Thanks to certified StrengthsFinder Coach, Carole Bongard, for volunteering her time free of charge to work with our team!
Madi, a deputy clerk in the elections department, stated the following about the experience,
“I thought Strength Finders was a great opportunity for me to get to know myself and my work habits. Strength Finders took each of my attributes and challenges and laid them out in an easy to understand format. I think this program also helps supervisors and teammates understand the way our brains receive and process information and how that might affect a team project. We can determine which team member is more suited to a task or role and how the rest of the team can support them."
Conversations with our staff won't end here. We plan to continue to build upon these foundational principles, strengthen our team dynamic and increase our understanding about one another’s strengths throughout the remainder of the year! |
