With the primary season behind us and midterm campaigns afoot, attention is turning to Michigan’s election processes and the people who run them. As a born-and-bred Michiganian, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard claims about voter registration fraud in Muskegon, supposed ballot dumps in Detroit and noncitizen voting across the state. The allegations are enough to give any voter pause.
So, when I recently had the chance to observe a Public Accuracy Test of Detroit’s absentee ballot tabulation equipment firsthand, I came in with real questions about whether the system might be vulnerable.
The Public Accuracy Test is exactly what it sounds like. Before every election, local clerks are required to publicly test their tabulating equipment, running sample ballots through each machine to confirm it’s programmed correctly and counting votes as intended. These tests are open to any Michiganian who wants to attend. Anyone can walk in and watch clerks demonstrate, step by step, that the machines work exactly as they should, well before a single real ballot is cast.
Elections can often feel abstract, confusing, even faceless. That’s what made the Public Accuracy Test surprising. What I saw was a room full of ordinary municipal workers carefully running test ballots through the machines, confirming each one registered correctly. There was no drama, no theater, just steady, methodical diligence. Amid the noisy national conversation about elections, I saw hardworking people doing their civic duty. I watched the machinery of democracy turn exactly as it’s supposed to. What struck me most was the election official’s composure. A group of strangers — myself included — had walked into their workplace to take photos, record video and ask questions. I’ve seen people rattled by far less scrutiny. But these election workers stayed focused, doing their jobs correctly, one ballot at a time, regardless of who was watching.
My son is 19 and studying political science in college. My husband has been volunteering for a local candidate this cycle. And I’ve recently gotten involved with Pillars of the Community, an organization that encourages local leaders to ask hard questions and help restore trust in our election processes. In our house, we talk about elections a lot. Still, with a contentious midterm ahead, the stakes feel higher than usual, and I want my friends and neighbors to do more than just vote their conscience. I want them to ask the hard questions and actually listen to the answers.
No system is perfect. But real safeguards exist, and when there are legitimate concerns about an outcome, litigation and recounts are the proper remedy. Baseless attacks on our election system don’t make elections safer; they erode trust in the people who show up every cycle to do this work honestly. That erosion hurts everyone, regardless of party.
One of Michigan’s strengths is the ordinary people who show up and do their jobs well, whether anyone is watching or not. That’s exactly what I saw in that tabulation room. The testing for this election may be over, but the lesson isn’t: our elections are run by our neighbors, protected by transparent processes and worthy of our trust. As this week’s primary results come in and we look toward the November midterms, I hope more of us take the time to understand the safeguards behind our elections. Talk to an election official, volunteer to be a poll worker or attend a Public Accuracy Test this fall, because our democracy works best when people have faith in our elections and the people who administer them.
Christina McKenna is founder and president of Bluestone Executive Communications, based in Birmingham, Michigan. She is participating in Pillars of the Community, an initiative connecting community leaders with election officials to help restore trust in the American election system.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: I had questions about Michigan’s elections. Here’s what I found. | Opinion
Reporting by Christina McKenna / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Christina McKenna | USA TODAY Network
