Houghton County’s Board of Canvassers certified the results of last Tuesday’s election today, one week after voters cast their ballots. The certification is a key step in the electoral process, but few residents get to see it up close.
Keweenaw Bureau reporter Thomas Fournier observed the process to show how the county checks its results.
The board began its work Thursday and continued into Friday. Each member counted the figures while another compared them to unofficial result reports from precinct tabulators.
Every board of canvassers has four members. In Michigan, county commissioners nominate the local boards at an annual meeting. The county commission then picks two representatives each from the Democratic and Republican parties.
Board Chair Barbara Manninen said the board relies on the work of poll workers. “We appreciate all the work that the poll workers ahead of us did, preparing all the paperwork that we were sorting through and looking to certify,” Manninen said. “We appreciate all the work that the people did ahead of us so that we could do our work.”
Manninen stressed that the process follows strict rules. “Nothing is done by personal judgment or personal bias,” she said. “There are rules to follow. All the descriptions of the Board of Canvassers are clerical, ministerial and non-discretionary.”
Board member Charles Markham said the process is simple but thorough. “Basically, we look at the 29 precincts in Houghton County, and we match the number of ballots with the number of voters,” Markham said. “Then we look at the chain of custody of the ballots, and it’s pretty simple.”
Markham said the public should understand the process. “Open to the public so they can look,” he said. “We have two Democrats, two Republicans, and it goes pretty smoothly, but it takes time. Most people probably don’t know what it is, but basically, it’s just making sure that everybody’s vote counts. Nobody got missed, and nobody got voted twice.”
The board’s main focus at each election is reviewing the clerical paperwork for each election site. Manninen said the board also has another important duty every four years, when it certifies that each election container bag is properly sealed and undamaged.
See Houghton County’s unofficial election totals here.
See Keweenaw County’s unofficial election totals here.
See Baraga County’s unofficial election totals here.
See Ontonagon County’s unofficial election totals here.
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