Michigan clerks promote transparency as voter confidence in election administration drops

If you have questions about the systems used to administer an election, consider working at the polls this upcoming election, Michigan clerks say.

Clerks from around the state told the Michigan Independent that serving as a poll worker  — officially known as an election inspector — allows the public to get involved in the democratic process. This experience is particularly helpful for those who want to learn more about the security of elections.

Grand Rapids City Clerk Joel Hondorp said he has hired many election workers who had questions about how elections were conducted following the 2020 presidential race and wanted to see the process for themselves. 

“After they went through training and worked the August primary in 2022, in the November 2022 election, I think it alleviated a lot of their concerns because they got to see firsthand what all the checks and balances are through the election process,” Hondorp said.

As election administrators, clerks don’t think that having more eyes on the election process is a bad thing.

Although the majority of Americans still trust that elections in their communities are administered properly, polling from Pew Research Center shows that voter confidence in election administration within the United States overall has dropped since 2020. That same year, former president and Republican 2024 presidential nominee Donald Trump began making repeated false claims of election fraud after losing his race against Joe Biden.

In Upper Peninsula’s Houghton County, where Trump won in 2016 and 2020, clerk Jennifer Kelly said some people sign up as inspectors simply because they were skeptical of the election process, and then they wind up learning about the additional ways the public can be involved beyond the polls. Kelly said she encouraged one woman who worked the August primary to attend a board of canvassers meeting and witness the local government test voting equipment.

“That’s why we do what we do as clerks, to be open to the public,” Kelly said. “If they doubt something, come and see. We want people to feel better about the election process.”

Poll workers who are interested in the job are vetted by local clerks and election commissions and must meet all of the official state requirements, which include — among other things — not having a felony or election crime conviction. Additionally, poll workers must go through training in order to serve in the role. Once they pass these steps, they may perform duties ranging from checking in voters to processing absentee ballots.

Clerks may also look for administrative skills when vetting potential poll workers, but they say it’s critical that they find people who are willing to act in good faith and follow their oath of office when working an election. 

“This is a hiring decision that local clerks are empowered to make to encourage the efficient and safe and secure election administration,” Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum said.

Press reports exposed Republican efforts in Michigan’s 2022 election cycle to recruit individuals who could potentially overturn votes at Democratic precincts. One poll worker faced criminal charges for tampering with a voting machine at a Gaines Township precinct, although the charges were later dismissed.

In Ingham County, home to Michigan State University and the state’s capital city, Lansing, Byrum said they’re always looking for more people to help work the election. She said election administrators specifically look for more Democrats to serve in the community’s rural areas and more Republicans in the populated neighborhoods. Under Michigan law, election commissioners are required to achieve partisan fairness to the best of their ability when appointing election inspectors.

In order to get people from different backgrounds involved at the polls, Byrum said she has conducted outreach at different political events, in addition to local high schools and colleges.

“I think it’s important that we have precinct workers, election inspectors that represent our communities and welcome voters in to exercise their right to vote,” Byrum said.If you have questions about the systems used to administer an election, consider working at the polls this upcoming election, Michigan clerks say.

Clerks from around the state told the Michigan Independent that serving as a poll worker  — officially known as an election inspector — allows the public to get involved in the democratic process. This experience is particularly helpful for those who want to learn more about the security of elections.

Grand Rapids City Clerk Joel Hondorp said he has hired many election workers who had questions about how elections were conducted following the 2020 presidential race and wanted to see the process for themselves. 

“After they went through training and worked the August primary in 2022, in the November 2022 election, I think it alleviated a lot of their concerns because they got to see firsthand what all the checks and balances are through the election process,” Hondorp said.

As election administrators, clerks don’t think that having more eyes on the election process is a bad thing.

Although the majority of Americans still trust that elections in their communities are administered properly, polling from Pew Research Center shows that voter confidence in election administration within the United States overall has dropped since 2020. That same year, former president and Republican 2024 presidential nominee Donald Trump began making repeated false claims of election fraud after losing his race against Joe Biden.

In Upper Peninsula’s Houghton County, where Trump won in 2016 and 2020, clerk Jennifer Kelly said some people sign up as inspectors simply because they were skeptical of the election process, and then they wind up learning about the additional ways the public can be involved beyond the polls. Kelly said she encouraged one woman who worked the August primary to attend a board of canvassers meeting and witness the local government test voting equipment.

“That’s why we do what we do as clerks, to be open to the public,” Kelly said. “If they doubt something, come and see. We want people to feel better about the election process.”

Poll workers who are interested in the job are vetted by local clerks and election commissions and must meet all of the official state requirements, which include — among other things — not having a felony or election crime conviction. Additionally, poll workers must go through training in order to serve in the role. Once they pass these steps, they may perform duties ranging from checking in voters to processing absentee ballots.

Clerks may also look for administrative skills when vetting potential poll workers, but they say it’s critical that they find people who are willing to act in good faith and follow their oath of office when working an election. 

“This is a hiring decision that local clerks are empowered to make to encourage the efficient and safe and secure election administration,” Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum said.

Press reports exposed Republican efforts in Michigan’s 2022 election cycle to recruit individuals who could potentially overturn votes at Democratic precincts. One poll worker faced criminal charges for tampering with a voting machine at a Gaines Township precinct, although the charges were later dismissed.

In Ingham County, home to Michigan State University and the state’s capital city, Lansing, Byrum said they’re always looking for more people to help work the election. She said election administrators specifically look for more Democrats to serve in the community’s rural areas and more Republicans in the populated neighborhoods. Under Michigan law, election commissioners are required to achieve partisan fairness to the best of their ability when appointing election inspectors.

In order to get people from different backgrounds involved at the polls, Byrum said she has conducted outreach at different political events, in addition to local high schools and colleges.

“I think it’s important that we have precinct workers, election inspectors that represent our communities and welcome voters in to exercise their right to vote,” Byrum said.