WARREN, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – One city clerk in Michigan is taking a pass on new laws that allow election officials to pre-process absentee ballots prior to Election Day.
Warren City Clerk Sonja Buffa’s decision stands in stark contrast to other municipalities in Macomb County and pleas from Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. A 2022 state law lets cities and townships with more than 5,000 people count absentee ballots up to eight days before the election.
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However, Buffa said her priority is accuracy and maintaining election integrity. She said that preprocessing “opens the door for results to get leaked or compromised.”
Buffa may be on to something. For decades, Michigan and other states have processed presidential election results on election night with a clear winner declared shortly after the polls closed. In recent years, results have been delayed. Last weekend while speaking on news shows, Benson said “her best guess” for election results this year will be the day after the election.
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