GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — In 2020, lagging results in key battleground states laid the groundwork for concerns and widespread distrust in the election system that many claimed to likely have been influenced by nefarious actions.
While many claims about the results were debunked in the courts following that general election, some concerns have lingered.
"[We] really encourage all citizens to seek out multiple and trusted sources of information," Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said in a Monday press conference. "And also to be prepared for an uptick in misinformation and confusing statements and allegations to occur in the days ahead."
But now, with new state law in place, many election officials are hoping to speed up the timeline on unofficial results being reported.
"We have a number of other factors in our favor - most significantly, the fact that pre-processing starts today, not on Tuesday, November 5," Benson said.
Under SB 367 passed by the state legislature in 2023, jurisdictions with a population of at least 5,000 can begin pre-processing absent voter ballots up to 8 days before election day, between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. each of those days.
While these votes may also be tabulated as part of this process, the law reiterates that election results "must not be generated, printed, or reported before 8 p.m. on election day."
"I'm very confident in [clerks' early voting] processes," Benson said. "And so, after the polls close and the returns begin and the unofficial results begin to be known, we'll make sure you all have the information about which communities are at what point in the counting process, so that you'll know what we know as we see the post-election process unfold."
But while some may see benefit to the process, it's reportedly not a unanimous consensus.
During her press conference that had been called to give an update on the state's latest early voting numbers, Benson responded to reports that the clerk of Warren, a city of over 100,000, had chosen not to pre-process absentee ballots.
13 ON YOUR SIDE reached out to Warren Clerk Sonja Buffa, who confirmed that she chose not to do so in order to, in her view, prioritize the accuracy of results ahead of speed.
Clerk Buffa provided the following statement to 13 ON YOUR SIDE:
I have been administering elections for 24 years and my staff has always demonstrated accuracy and precision with elections. Accuracy is the number one priority for me, and then speed is second. It is for these reasons that I have chosen not to preprocess.
First, it actually would take more time to pre-process absentee votes for eight days given the extra people needed, the time it takes, the storage necessitated, and the compiling afterwards, than one full day of counting.
Next, pre- processing is not mandated for clerks. The legislature could have easily mandated pre-processing, but they chose to make it optional.
And finally, up to eight days of pre-processing opens the door for results to get leaked or compromised. I will not risk compromising the integrity of the election.
I also want the results quickly and we are committed to accomplishing that task in addition to keeping the election accurate, safe and secure. WE CAN DO THIS!
I hope that the scrutiny this office is getting will not discourage the general public from voting. As always, thank you for voting.
"I won't pass comment on the decision that she made, which is within her purview to make," Benson said when asked about the Warren clerk's decision. "But that said, we'll be there to help [Macomb County] Clerk Forlini as well as Clerk Buffa, to make sure that they have all the resources they need to tabulate, pre-process and tabulate all ballots as quickly as possible."
"All that said," Benson continued, "I think when it comes to election night, if there is one community that is lagging behind others, and it's Warren, we'll be open about that so that we can make sure everyone knows exactly what's happening as we go through the process."
Whereas Michigan, according to Benson, had its unofficial results in within 24 hours of the polls closing during the 2020 election, it is that timeframe that she said her office will now use as a rubric.
However, with pre-processing available and in the absence of a global pandemic, she said many results could be expected on election night.
"I anticipate many communities will be, probably most of our communities will be, finished tabulating all of their ballots on election night," Benson said, while also acknowledging that certain factors could potentially impact that projection.
