Well hello again,
It’s already October and early voting has begun! Judging by the questions you’ve sent in, the election security fears are getting real.
We are used to dealing with an ocean of uncertainty around elections - weighing which candidates truly match our views, and whether they’ll do what they promised to do during the campaign. And who is really behind the scenes funding all this?
Let’s dig in to an increasing concern I’ve heard about the upcoming election.
Can you trust the election process?
In this year’s elections there has been added uncertainty brought on by the many actions, or attempted actions, by the Trump administration to monitor and alter the voting process. Your questions show what that uncertainty has wrought:
Let's check in with an expert
These are the kinds of questions Ottawa County Clerk Justin Roebuck has been trying to answer for years. And he is unequivocal.
“I would say absolutely,” he told Kalloli Bhatt in an interview for It’s Just Politics. “You can trust the process of voting by mail.”
Roebuck has been one of the most vocal and visible local election clerks in Michigan trying to get out the message that, yes, Michigan elections are safe and secure. He keeps repeating that message even as other high-ranking politicians cast doubt on the process.
“There is unfortunately something to be gained from that,” Roebuck says of the false claims of compromised elections. “And a lot of times it's monetary and sometimes it is political benefit. But ultimately, I think we have to rely back on trusted sources and on our facts.”
Trusted sources, facts, and, I would argue, time. Because time has shown over the past two major election cycles that irregularities have been either minor, or have been found out before any votes were affected.
What the evidence shows
By now you have heard the claims of massive election problems, repeated often, but likely not seen any real evidence to back up those claims. Instead, there is a pile of evidence showing that elections have been overwhelmingly secure and accurate here in Michigan.
So what of the attempts to change the electoral process being pushed by the current federal government? Researching the many proposed changes, lawsuits, and arguments has taken nearly as much effort this year as researching the actual issues on the ballot.
But the bottom line is this: As of right now, there is no reason for you to be afraid that your ballot won’t be counted, whether you vote in person or absentee.
Local county clerks have been preparing and sending out ballots. Early voting sites are already opening in many communities. And everything, as of today’s publication, is proceeding smoothly. We’ll let you know if that changes.
Stay calm, Michigan. You got this.
If this newsletter doesn’t calm your nerves enough, Roebuck has another piece of advice. If you really, really, truly want to help ensure that the election runs smoothly, you can always volunteer to help it run smoothly by being an election inspector or an observer.
“I think the most influential thing that somebody can do to effectively, you know, see things from a different perspective is to actually walk in the shoes of someone else, right?” Roebuck says. “And really what we have seen shift that confidence level most effectively in my time as an election administrator is when people actually sign up to do it.”
There’s still time to sign up to be an election inspector to work at the polls. The state has a guide here. Or you can just be an observer.
If you need more details, stay tuned. For our next newsletter, we’ll attend an election worker training in Grand Rapids and bring you all the information you need to know if you want to do it yourself.
Until then!
Dustin Dwyer, Reporter
P.S. Still need reassurance about the election process?
Watch our ASMR-style video to find inner calm during the midterms. ⬇️
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Today’s newsletter was written by Dustin Dwyer, produced by Kalloli Bhatt, and edited by Michelle Keller.
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