GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Wednesday, The Kent County Clerk, Lisa Posthumus Lyons, began post-election audits of the 2020 general election. The audit is a routine process that happens after every general election. The state chooses 10-12 precincts to audit in Kent County.
Workers are reviewing software on equipment, notices were sent out on time, poll workers were hired properly, and more in the audit. For this audit, Kent County will also recount the votes by hand for President and United State Senator to confirm accurate results.
"We’ve never seen anything in an audit that would raise red flags as to the accuracy of the election," said Posthumus Lyons, "There’s procedural things we can improve on at the local level, and that’s what the audit will tell us."
The audit typically goes unnoticed, but it is getting more attention this year because of claims of voter fraud in the presidential election. The audit is open for the public to observe.
"There’s been a lot of attention as to whether or not this election was fair and secure," said Posthumus Lyons, "I’m really looking forward this audit being concluded to really show Kent County voters the election in Kent County was secure, transparent, fair, and accurate."
The audit began Wednesday, December 9, and will continue through the month of December. Information collected during the audit is also public information, and the results are used as an educational tool for local clerks.
Precincts chosen for this year's audit include Byron Township Precinct 1, East Grand Rapids City Precinct 5, Grandville City Precinct 5, Wyoming City Precinct 26, Plainfield Township Precinct 4, Cannon Township Precinct 6, Cascade Township Precinct 6, Grand Rapids City Precinct 22, Caledonia Township Precinct 6, Oakfield Township Precinct 3, and Grand Rapids Township Precinct 1.
The audit takes place at the Kent County Administration Building, 300 Monroe Avenue NW, starting at 9 am.
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