Michigan election officials join battleground state panel in Ann Arbor

Election officials in Michigan met with others from across the country in Ann Arbor Thursday as they prepare for the November general election.

Panelists talked about how their respective states count ballots, certify elections, and work to increase overall confidence in election results as they work to avoid a repeat of election denialism and harassment of election workers seen during and after the 2020 presidential race.

Michigan Elections Director Jonathan Brater said it’s a small percentage of people that cross the line. Still, he said, it takes a toll.

“It’s more just the time duration. The fact that, because it’s sort of been a continuous process since 2020, we, you know, in some cases our election officials haven’t gotten much of a break,” Brater said.

Brater said aside from keeping workers safe, his office is focused on getting ballots for overseas and absentee voters out on time.

In addition to Brater, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Ottawa County Clerk Justin Roebuck, and Kent County Clerk Lisa Posthumus-Lyons also participated in the discussion Thursday afternoon.

Each stressed the appreciation they have for the job and election administration.

Posthumus-Lyons said fighting misinformation is one of the harder parts of her job ahead of November’s general election. She said her office has been working hard to engage the community with education efforts.

“We’ve been doing Elections 101, we’ve been doing a lot of talking with our local elected officials, with our state representatives to make sure that they are equipped with accurate information because that’s absolutely critical,” Posthumus-Lyons said.

Officials from battleground states also took part in the discussion, including Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, and North Carolina.

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