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After the presidential primary election in March, a Risk Limiting Audit was performed, and the results have suggested that Michigan is ready for the August and November elections.
Of Michigan’s 83 counties, 80 participated in the audit, and the results reinforced the accuracy and security of the results.
The audit, the largest of its kind in the nation, was part of Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s ongoing efforts to strengthen Michiganders ability to vote.
Benson had this to say. “The overwhelming participation from county and local clerks in this audit underscores the hard work they do to safeguard our elections, and their dedication to public service.”
Throughout the state, 669 random ballots were selected in the audit, and they mirrored official election results within one percentage point for the leading candidates in each primary, suggesting had an actual audit been conducted, the outcome of the election would remain unchanged.
The need for paper ballots was also shown during the pilot audit, as they provide election security safeguards and ensure outcomes are correct.
When partnered with traditional audit methods already used by election officials, RLA’s, which most consider to be the gold standard of post-election audits, provide an extra layer of security.
Secretary Benson added “This reinforces not only that we’re ready for the upcoming elections, but that Michigan Is a leader in utilizing state of the art security measures to ensure the integrity of our system.”
