Macomb County now offers its residents a way to know for sure that their votes are counted accurately in every election.
The county says it's the first in the state to use software called Ballot Verifier. It takes a digital snapshot of each ballot as it passes through the vote tabulator, removes any identifying information, and randomizes the images so that voter privacy is protected.
That allows elections officials to see whether the votes on those ballots accurately reflect the tabulator’s results. And now, a page on the clerk’s website lets anyone else do the same thing.
“Although you don't know if it's your ballot specifically, you can just see whether that tabulator indeed scored all the ballots properly,” said Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini.
Forlini said it’s a way to reassure the public that votes are counted accurately, especially in the face of growing rhetoric and questions about election security and integrity.
“I think it's just one more step in adding transparency, taking away the mystery of elections, and having people feel comfortable with their elections,” Forlini said.
Forlini, who’s currently running for Michigan Secretary of State as a Republican, said he thinks this practice will soon become the “gold standard” for clerks and election administrators in Michigan. “I really believe most clerks in the state want to see that transparency, [and] to answer the questions that everyone has,” he said.
