Great Lakes Wire

Polling places for the August primary election saw about two million people cast ballots, with approximately 1.2 million (60%) voting absentee and more than 70,000 (3.5%) voting early, according to Bureau of Elections Director Jonathan Brater.

Brater provided the breakdown of the vote prior to the Board of State Canvassers certifying the vote on August 26. He indicated that the Bureau anticipates a significant increase in early voting and absentee ballots as both parties promote these methods.

“What exactly that looks like, only time will tell,” he said.

He mentioned there were no major issues with the primary but noted slower-than-usual unofficial results from Wayne and Macomb counties due to their use of an older version of a voting system. Wayne County also experienced a network firewall issue that hindered the electronic upload of some unofficial results.

Overall, Brater commended clerks for accurately posting their unofficial votes despite delays.

“Obviously, we all want them to be available as quickly as possible, but the priority is always going to be getting the results accurate,” he stated.

The bureau plans to collaborate with counties to expedite unofficial results for the November election while maintaining election integrity.

“We do want to work with the counties to make sure that we get the unofficial results out as quickly as possible,” Brater reiterated.

State Board of Canvassers Chair Sue Ellen Gurewitz inquired if early processing of absentee ballots expedited result dissemination. Brater acknowledged increased utilization but emphasized finalization still required waiting until polls closed.

In Detroit and other districts, last-minute ballot drop-offs necessitated verification against voter files before tabulation could proceed.

“I think it did improve the efficiency of the process, but there’s always going to be waiting for the last round to come in on Election Day,” he explained.

Concerns arose from Montmorency County and Republican Articia Bomer regarding ballot rotation standards across jurisdictions.

“We can’t just keep swimming forward when there’s sharks out there. You can’t certify this. This is not about ‘Stop the Steals.’ It’s not about that,” Bomer argued.

She objected to certifying Wayne County's results due to ballot rotation issues she had filed with courts—a matter outside board jurisdiction according to Brater who clarified it must be resolved legally.

Brater elaborated that ballot rotation has long been practiced by altering candidate order on ballots across different jurisdictions without any known errors recently reported—attributing concerns instead to voter misunderstanding.

Article courtesy MIRS News for SBAM’s Lansing Watchdog newsletter

Click here for more News & Resources.