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Tuesday, November 5, 2024

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A PA judge allows Elon Musk's $1 million voter giveaway; All eyes on AZ this Election Day, but experts warn of harmful misinformation; To call or not to call? The election night question; Election Day raises new fears over Comstock Act, reproductive rights.

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Philadelphia's District Attorney says the city is prepared for any election violence, doctors advise about how to handle Election Stress Disorder, and Oregon has a high number of women in government.

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Bipartisan report aims to build public trust in MI's voting system

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Tuesday, November 5, 2024   

A nonprofit report aims to build trust in Michigan's voting system by explaining the safeguards that ensure fair and free elections.

The report from Informing Democracy shows that in Michigan, elections are mainly managed locally by more than 17 hundred election offices statewide.

Local officials handle most tasks on and after Election Day.

County boards, with two Republicans and two Democrats, certify county results - while the state board certifies statewide and multi-county elections.

In the Great Lakes State, the group is on the lookout for certification deadlocks. Jenny Gimian is the director of legal research and senior counsel at Informing Democracy.

"But in Michigan, certification process is notable because the Board of County Canvassers is made up of even numbers of members, equal numbers from each party," said Gimian. "In 2020, there was a temporary deadlock over certification in Wayne County. That's particularly notable - their public outcry and official review was sufficient to break the deadlock in that case."

Michigan law includes enforcement measures to protect the process from officials who refuse to certify elections.

The report shows Michigan's election laws are strong. However, there are some vulnerabilities, where election deniers are interested in subverting the process.

Several individuals of concern were found serving on county boards or as clerks in multiple counties including Wayne, Macomb and Kalamazoo.

Lindsey Miller is the director of strategic research at Informing Democracy.

"We were trying to identify places where there were enough election deniers, or people that had previously acted against elections," said Miller, "to either comprise a majority of board members who will be voting on certification, or comprised of a deadlock, which is what we would probably see in Michigan."

In Michigan, election fraud includes coordinated recount and audit requests, false fraud claims, and refusal by some local officials to certify results because of election denial beliefs.




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