Election authorities in pivotal Michigan struggle with extensive voting adjustments during the presidential race.
The recent modifications have made managing elections in this significant presidential battleground much more difficult, with some expressing concerns about the strain on the industry's over 1,500 local clerks. They are required to handle more complex election tasks while also attending to different responsibilities, from town record-keeping to pet licensing.
Michael Siegrist, the clerk of Canton Township, likened the situation to replacing a Model T car's engine with a Ferrari. This is in reference to the ongoing endeavor to modernize the country's elections, which were once managed under a system that has been around for decades.
The effort to implement these changes also takes place amid an emotionally charged environment, where a minor error could result in untrue speculations regarding electoral fraud. A bizarre incident occurred during the 2020 general elections where the unofficial results in the Republican-leaning Antrim County in northern Michigan erroneously indicated Joe Biden ahead of Donald Trump.
Despite state and local authorities' explanations that no cheating was involved, the incident rapidly escalated as Trump supporters tried to question Biden's triumph by spreading groundless claims that the tabulators had switched votes from Trump to Biden.
The highly fragmented system of Michigan's voting administration means that "Michigan has 1,500 separate elections every big election day," as explained by Kyle Whitney, the Marquette city clerk in the state's Upper Peninsula. This helps guarantee that the voting process and count are secure because it is impossible to affect the outcome of a large-scale election with a single action.
Whitney also noted that the drawback is the higher likelihood of blunders due to undertrained or exhausted clerks.
The new guidelines also come as election officials are facing higher turnover rates - either because they have reached retirement age or due to increased job pressures or harassment since the 2020 election.
A recent poll of election administrators conducted by the liberal-leaning Brennan Center for Justice found that 20% were unlikely to continue serving by the 2026 midterm elections.
"We're all newbies”
Michigan's new voting regulations stem from a constitutional amendment that was endorsed by voters in 2022, significantly broadening polling access. The amendment introduced nine days of early, in-person voting, allowed Michigan residents to register for an automatic ballot for future elections, and set a legal requirement for each community to have at least one secure ballot drop box, with larger towns required to have one per 15,000 people.
Furthermore, the new guidelines extend the deadline for correcting any clerical errors on absentee ballots until the Friday following the election. They also ensure that ballots cast by military and overseas voters are counted if they are received within six days following the election, as long as the envelope is stamped on Election Day.
The 2022 voter amendment, known as Prop 2, was an extension of a previous amendment approved in 2018 that permitted any Michigan resident to vote by mail without justification. This also included allowing voters to register at the polling station on election day.
The far-reaching alterations have resulted in a substantial increase in the duties of the state's appointed and elected city and town clerks, who are in charge of supervising elections in Michigan.
"It's like overseeing three different elections simultaneously," stated Lori Miller, the newly-appointed clerk for Livonia in the Detroit suburbs. This is her first presidential election, as she took office after the previous one stepped down. Miller previously served as Livonia's deputy clerk.
Like other Michigan officials, Miller observed the distressing events of the 2020 election, particularly when Republicans resisted signing off on the results in Wayne County, home to Detroit and Livonia, for several hours.
However, Miller felt her duty to her hometown compelled her to take on the role, even with the challenges of learning the job. "It's not a role you can master in 30 days."
Even the most seasoned clerks have struggled to adapt.
Though the rules were enacted by voters in November 2022, it took the state legislature until July 2023 to adapt the laws. The few months before Michigan's presidential primary on February 27, 2024, have been a whirlwind, forcing the state to introduce new software alongside the new regulations.
Deborah Pellow, the part-time clerk of rural Tilden Township in the Upper Peninsula, is also overseeing her first presidential election this year. Pellow has held a variety of public service positions, including being a treasurer, a supervisor, a commissioner, and other roles.
However, she admitted that the job is "the most challenging and time-consuming of all I've held in the past 30-plus years" as she juggles her election duties with other responsibilities, such as managing accounts, communications, and grant applications for a community with a population of over 1,000 people.
Pellow earns $10,800 per year and is working twice the hours she initially planned to stay on top of her tasks.
Even veteran administrative officials assert that the learning curve has been substantial.
Siegrist, the town clerk in Canton, admitted he was thrown into the deep end when it came to learning the new electronic poll books which were needed for early voting just two hours before training poll workers. He has been elected as a Democrat and has been in this post since 2016.
"I left 2022 feeling like an expert in election management," he said, "now it's back to being a newbie."
Adam Wit, the clerk of Harrison Township (a community of about 23,000 people northeast of Detroit), said the difficulty of the February primary could be compared to "drinking from a firehose" due to all the new information, policies, and procedures that came up. Wit, a Republican who was first elected in 2012, stated that the only recourse was for clerks to work tirelessly, be it extra hours over the weekend or long days, to execute this election.
Representatives from Promote the Vote acknowledged the challenging situation facing clerks, but emphasized that Michigan voters had made it clear that the election system must deliver. Shira Roza, the group's electoral protection director, said, "It's a fact that these pro-voter changes have left clerks with a lot of work. We are profoundly appreciative of their dedication."
But she also underscored the importance of giving voters the chance to exercise their fundamental right to vote. "That significance is reduced if they're not afforded the opportunity to vote on Election Day."
The State provided support and training for the clerks, including giving them $30 million in one-time grants to help with the implementation of the new laws. A pilot program carried out last fall allowed some clerks to familiarize themselves with the new rules and technology before the primary.
Angela Beaudry, spokesperson for Michigan's Democratic Secretary of State, Joycelyn Benson, noted that the agency was also pushing for additional funding from legislators to aid clerks in performing their duties in the future. Jacqueline Beaudry, Ann Arbor City Clerk and President of the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks, said that the association was also encouraging local governments to increase staff size and salaries so that clerks could better adapt to the changes and be equitably compensated for the extra workload.
Benander and the clerks interviewed by CNN maintained that the primary voting in the presidential election went smoothly in the end. August will present a bigger challenge for Michigan, though, as voters select primary ballots for congressional, state, and local offices.
"We are certain that the professional, dedicated clerks will accomplish the task," said Benander.
Pellow, the clerk in Tilden, shared the same sentiments, maintaining that her main goal is to help people vote in any way possible, no matter the challenges.
"Whatever the challenges may be, this is what the people of Michigan have voted for," she asserted. "It may be more work than before, but we must live with it. I constantly remind my staff, 'Smile and thank people for voting, that's our job.'"
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Source: edition.cnn.com
