On Nov. 9, multiple Michigan counties discovered additional election ballots that had not been counted days. Together, the missing votes totaled over 26,000 across Kent, Kalamazoo, Calhoun and Leelanau counties.
While voting officials and political science educators maintain that complications are not unusual, this large tally of votes have changed the results of certain local races. Discrepancies in vote counts, coupled with a distrust in absentee voting systems, have led many voters in Michigan to feel State election results might not be accurate.
13,795 of the total 26,662 missing votes were discovered in Kent County. The cause for the error in Kent, Kalamazoo and Leelanau counties was reportedly due to human error, while Calhoun County identified a software issue as the cause.
In Leelanau County, it was originally shown that Democrats had won a 6-1 majority on the county board. The new votes turned the race over, this time signifying a 4-3 majority in favor of Republicans.
In Calhoun County, a race for the Michigan House of Representatives got much closer than previously counted. Incumbent Democrat Rep. Jim Haadsma had originally lost his contest against Republican challenger Steve Frisbie by about 1,500 votes. After the addition of the missing votes, Haadsma found out that his opponent only won by 58 votes. This close call and the discrepancies that caused it prompted Calhoun County to recount votes altogether.
The Elections Director for the Kent County Clerk’s Office, Michael Sullivan, said some discrepancies in vote counting are unavoidable, but there are safeguards in place to ensure accuracy even after a mistake has been made.
“Elections administration is very intense,” Sullivan said. “There are so many intricacies within Michigan election law that must be followed. It is important that these checks and balances are followed to avoid mistakes, but our elections are administered by humans, and human error can, and does, happen. When they (errors) do (happen), (we) work to implement a solution, and then learn from this mistake so (we) can do better next time.”
Sullivan said Kent County is always trying to improve their vote counting system. Sullivan hopes to recruit additional workers for election seasons, stating that “attention and retention are key to learning and avoiding mistakes (in the election field).”
Most states have centralized election administration at the county government level, unlike Michigan. According to Sullivan, Michigan is “unique in having a decentralized system of elections where elections are administered at the local or township level,” which limits county government involvement to both pre and post-election duties.
Sullivan said the State’s election count system and heavy reliance on paper ballots are an immense benefit for reliability and consistency in comparison to methods used in other states, especially in the case of a recount.
“I cannot overstate the importance of having paper ballots, as if there are ever any questions about the results of an election, we can review these paper ballots by hand,” Sullivan said.“There are some aspects of the election system that I believe could become more efficient and where safeguards could be strengthened, but overall, appreciate the system we have developed in Michigan.”
Former President and President-elect Donald Trump, who refused to concede the 2020 election until weeks after the race was called, said he still questioned the results’ integrity during the first presidential debate in 2024. Due to this, many voters have expressed concern over the validity and integrity of their absentee ballots.
“(Absentee voting) allows voters to participate without appearing to vote in person, either early or on Election Day,” Sullivan said. “Many voters find this conducive, as they can receive the ballot, conduct research on the contests and then vote without feeling rushed in a polling location.”
Sullivan remained steadfast in his belief that absentee voting is convenient and reliable, and said absentee votes are protected by vote counting safeguards already in place throughout the state.
“As for (absentee ballot) fraud, we have several measures in place to prevent this,” Sullivan said. “This includes requiring a paper absentee ballot application to be on file, a unique ballot number assigned to the voter, a required signature on the envelope before it is processed and (the ballot to be) matched (with) the voter’s signature on file through their driver’s license or state ID. This prevents someone else from requesting an absentee ballot in someone’s name and returning it.”
Laura Schneider, a political science professor and the GVSU Political Science Department internship coordinator, is in agreement with Sullivan regarding the benefits of absentee voting.
“Personally, I think (absentee votes) are a great thing,” Schneider said. “Research tells us that the easier and more accessible we can make it to vote, the better turnout we will have in the election.”
Schneider recognized the possibility of election fraud but, like Sullivan, noted the various processes in place that are designed to catch discrepancies.
“Fraud can occur, but again, the research tells us that coordinated fraud via absentee ballots that would result in the overturning of an election in the U.S. is not happening,” Schneider said. “There are safeguards in place to ensure the security of one’s ballot, and to make sure that wide-scale voter fraud does not occur.”
Despite concerns raised about the integrity of the battleground state’s ballot count, Schneider believes finding missing votes and recounting some elections demonstrates Michigan’s diligence to accuracy.
“I am confident that (votes are being counted accurately),” Schneider said. “The reasons why (mistakes occur) vary by county, but I think the bigger takeaway is that the errors were caught. The system and safeguards put in place worked. Election results are not ‘official’ until they have been certified, so as we go through our safeguards and check for accuracy, we can correct any errors to ensure every vote is counted before it (a race) is certified.”
