More than 200 audits of the Nov. 8 election to be conducted by bipartisan officials
Statewide audit begins tomorrow
LANSING, Mich. -- The Michigan Bureau of Elections and bipartisan county and local election clerks will conduct more than 200 public audits of the Nov. 8, 2022 election.
Precinct-level audits will be conducted by Bureau of Elections staff and county clerks to review election administration procedures carried out in each audited precinct and identify best practices for future elections.
Additionally, the Bureau and dozens of clerks will participate in a statewide audit, in which randomly selected batches of ballots will be hand-counted to affirm the accuracy of the state’s vote tabulation machines.
“The professional, transparent auditing of our election procedures at the state and local level affirms the accuracy and integrity of our elections, identifies best practices, and ensures continuous improvement of our state’s secure, fair elections system,” said Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. “The 2022 election drew record-breaking turnout and unanimous, bipartisan certification from the Board of State Canvassers. We have confidence the auditing process will ensure we are able to build on that success as clerks throughout the state prepare for the next round of elections this year and next.”
The process begins tomorrow, when a bipartisan group of election officials will meet in Lansing to generate a random number – by rolling a 10-sided die – that will be used to determine which batches of ballots will be hand counted in the statewide audit. A link to the livestream of the 2:30 p.m. event will be posted on Michigan Department of State social media accounts. Participating officials include Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope, Livingston County Clerk Elizabeth Hundley, Livingston County Election Director Joe Bridgeman and former Ingham County Board of Canvassers Member Kathleen Prout.
In the weeks that follow, local election officials will hand count the dozens of batches of ballots from jurisdictions across the state. The results of each hand-counted batch will then be compared to the machine tally from the corresponding precinct to demonstrate the accuracy of the tabulation machines. The machines were publicly tested for accuracy prior to the election, and after the election hand recounts of more than half a million ballots also confirmed the accuracy of the tabulators.
A list of jurisdictions carrying out audits will be finalized and published after the jurisdictions that will participate in the statewide audit are identified. Residents can contact the participating township, city, and county clerks to learn the date, time, and location of each audit and how to observe it.
The Bureau expects all audits to be completed by Feb. 17 and results will subsequently be shared with the Board of State Canvassers in a public meeting.
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