Local clerks remain confident despite misinformation over election security

City, county and township clerks in Greater Lansing are still busy dispelling right-wing myths over the integrity of the election process, now with less than a week to go before Election Day.

But despite ongoing concerns over voter fraud voiced by President Donald Trump and the casting of a record number of absentee ballots across the country, the message from local clerks and other elections officials across Greater Lansing is clear: The integrity of the election remains secure.

“There are and always have been a lot of security protections throughout the whole system,” said Eaton County Clerk Diana Bosworth. “There is obviously going to be a larger turnout, so that might take things longer to process, but I’ve never had doubts about the process. I also haven’t really heard enough to where I’d have any expectations of problems on Election Day.”

Bosworth’s take isn’t uncommon locally. Aside from a few possible processing delays, Lansing Clerk Chris Swope and East Lansing Clerk Jennifer Shuster also don’t expect any hiccups. Neither do Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum or clerks in Mason, Delhi and Delta townships.

Given a drastic increase in absentee voting this year, residents might be waiting on a concrete set of results until Wednesday morning or afternoon, but they’re expected to be reliable as clerks continue to vouch for enhanced security measures ahead of next week’s election.

“I’m confident that all of our precincts will be safe, secure and professional,” added Delta Township Clerk Mary Clark. “I understand the president has asked people to vote twice, but people need to understand that the system doesn’t really allow for itself to be gamed like that.”

This year, perhaps more than any other, voters have been inundated by efforts to confuse them about the election process, their rights and the issues at stake, state elections officials warned.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer blasted Trump back in July after he repeatedly suggested the election should be delayed amid ongoing sleights on the mail-in voting process. Those Election Day doubts have only led to further unfounded distrust over the election locally, Swope explained.

“Anything people are trying to do to discourage people from voting is a sad reflection on them,” he said this month after the Michigan Republican Party shared a video of an unlocked ballot drop box in Lansing, stirring rumors of possibly jeopardized ballots.

All of those ballot drop boxes have since been repaired. Swope said this week that he has no indication that any ballots had been stolen, nor was he aware of any lingering security issues. Likewise, neither have clerks in far less populated areas of Ingham, Eaton and Clinton counties.

“There are too many checks and balances in place for things to go wrong, either with absentee or in-person voting,” added Mason Clerk Sarah Jarvis. “I have absolutely no concerns here.”

Still, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson remain on high alert. Michigan’s official elections website — likely in response to some of the unfounded vitriol coming from the Oval Office in recent weeks — warns voters of continued attempts to “hack their minds with scare tactics” designed to “lessen their faith or confidence in our elections.”

It reads: “These efforts, be they foreign, domestic, partisan or simply malicious, are designed to sow mistrust in our elections process and our antithetical to a healthy democracy. Fighting back is critical to ensuring our elections are a secure and accurate reflection of the will of the people.”

Benson earlier this month issued a directive that bans firearms from within 100 feet of a polling location. The move was expected to generate a legal challenge ahead of the election, but was viewed by many as a necessary response as Trump calls on a literal “army” of poll watchers.

The concept of bystanders from both political parties providing oversight of the voting process is hardly a novel one. Election observers (and challengers) have frequented precincts for decades.

But this year is the first national election in nearly four decades where the Republican National Committee has been formally allowed to coordinate its own poll watching activities. And that means elections officials are laser focused on the possibility of voter intimidation efforts locally.

The Lansing Police Department vowed last week to keep more cops on the streets on Election Day this year and to be particularly responsive to any suspected efforts to suppress the vote. Swope isn’t expecting armed militias at precincts in Lansing, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

“Challengers have only very specific opportunities for oversight on Election Day,” Byrum added. “Poll watchers have to stay back and they may only really do that: watch. Where it crosses the line is when voters feel intimidated, and we will not allow that to happen in Ingham County.”

Local clerks wouldn’t discuss specific operational plans for law enforcement, but most of them agreed it was best to avoid uniformed officers stationed at every voting precinct. The basic idea is for them to stay close enough for a fast response, but far enough away to avoid intimidation.

“We didn’t want to have that type of presence in Delhi Township for exactly that reason, that it could be perceived as intimidating and inadvertently suppress voter turnout for another reason,” added Delhi Township Clerk Evan Hope. “We also don’t think it’ll be necessary. They’ll all be readily available.”

Nessel also outlined a plan last week to dispatch Michigan State Police troopers to counties where the threat of unlawful voter intimidation may be the highest. None of the clerks who spoke to City Pulse last week expected the Greater Lansing region to require those added resources.

Still, both the Republican and Democratic parties have legal experts monitoring the election process across Michigan and the country. Nessel’s office will also be fielding concerns from any witnesses of any alleged voter intimidation at (517) 335-7659 or at miag@michigan.gov.