Panel stresses confidence in “safe, secure and accessible elections;” calls for a “peaceful transfer of power regardless of who wins.”
MICHIGAN (October 29, 2024) – Michigan’s top election officials and civic leaders addressed the concerns of Michigan voters during an online event of Election Overtime, a project of the Election Reformers Network (ERN), designed to help voters understand the rules of close and contested elections. The event, “Preparing for Michigan Election Overtime,” is the sixth in a series of election media briefings. Panelists included Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Michigan Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie, Ottawa County Clerk/Register Justin Roebuck, Michiganders for Civic Resilience Senior Advisors Christina Greig and Tonya Shuitmaker, ERN Executive Director Kevin Johnson, and ERN Vice President Heather Balas. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson shared her observations as she travels throughout Michigan leading up to Election Day. “We see clerks in communities like Flint, Saginaw, Detroit, and around the state really stepping up and leaning in,” Secretary Benson said. “Place to place there is positive energy around voting and participation. Folks from both sides of the aisle are really committed to doing their jobs, and what strikes me is that story is not breaking through, but that’s very much what I’m seeing as I go. We need to help cut through the noise and deliver a message to Michigan, rooted in facts and data, that our elections are safe, secure, and accessible.” Michigan Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie emphasized the work that’s gone into allaying voter worries about security. “When we think back to 2020, which was an eye-opening experience for all of us, we should remember that we persevered,” Deputy Secretary Edevbie said.“ Michigan voters want to know that we’re ready and prepared to uphold democracy once again, and we are. We have worked with the federal government to secure security funding for clerks around the state, to keep security and infrastructure up to date. Ultimately, people want to know that they can cast a ballot and that it’s going to be counted and certified. And we have all those processes in place to ensure the people’s will is ultimately done.” Republican Clerk/Registrar of Ottawa County Justin Roebuck disputed doubts about Michigan’s voter rolls. “One thing we are consistently hearing, particularly over this last week in the news media, is this idea that we have these inflated voter rolls,” Roebuck said. I want to point out that this is publicly available information that is very easily debunked. I’m not saying, ‘Just take our wordfor it.’ This is publicly available information, and people can find that out, and we’re happy to have conversations about it.” Christina Greig, Senior Advisor to Michiganders for Civic Resilience and former Democratic Leader in the Michigan House of Representatives, shared the biggest issues she hears from voters as she travels the state. “As we have had conversations with voters, there were issues with wanting to know more about the safeguards in the system, particularly that only eligible voters are voting. Also, the safety and security of drop boxes and early voting, and the process for ballots that can still come in after election day.” “We also focused on when the polls close. Many people weren’t aware of the powerful technology we have in this process working for us,” Greig explained. “Also, the machines are not tied to the internet at polls. They aren’t connected.” Tonya Schuitmaker, also of Michiganders for Civic Resilience, and the former Republican Michigan State Senate President Pro Tempore, who has been traveling with Greig, expanded on the need for civility and respect for the election process. “There’s a lot of misinformation out there. There’s going to be half the population that’s really upset in November because their candidate didn’t win, but if they perceive that it was at least done fairly, hopefully, we can mitigate any political violence,” said Schuitmaker. “We really want to make sure that we have a peaceful transfer of power because we will have a new president regardless of who wins the November election.” ERN Executive Director Kevin Johnson stressed that voters need to understand the roles that different institutions play in elections to develop trust in the process. “We have structures in place that we can rely on to keep the more partisan elements of the system, particularly legislatures, out of control of results. And these are the kinds of facts people don’t know as well as they should,” said Johnson. ERN Vice President Heather Balas underscored that sentiment. “When people perceive an injustice, they’re much more likely to be nervous, and they’re much more likely to act out,” said Balas. “When [voters] understand the process and understand that whether they won or lost, injustices did not occur, that’s when the process works well.” The Election Overtime Project is a comprehensive set of resources that includes litigation monitoring, guides for reporting on election transparency, verification processes, and judicial procedures. It also offers an extensive speakers bureau to connect journalists with expert commentary for local and national coverage. The program focuses on Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Materials under this program have been produced with the generous support of The Carter Center, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, and the Bridge Alliance. The contents are the responsibility of the Election Reformers Network and do not necessarily reflect the views of its funders. MICHIGANDERS FOR CIVIC RESILIENCE Michiganders for Civic Resilience is dedicated to fostering a vibrant democracy founded on trust, dialogue, and accountability. Our mission is to bridge the divides of political polarization, restore civil discourse, and uphold the integrity of U.S. elections. Visit micivic.org to learn more. ELECTION REFORMERS NETWORK The Election Reformers Network advances election innovations that protect democracy from polarization. ERN favors neither the left nor the right and advances policy change to ensure the institutions running U.S. elections are as impartial as possible. The ERN team offers a reliable support system to reporters throughout the election season. Contact: Kim Nickols [email protected] ###
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