The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Wednesday, October 28, 2020 — 5
Results could take a while with record mail-in ballots
In
previous
election
cycles,
results have been reported on
election night as precincts tally their
votes, with a winner being declared
hours after polls close. This year,
however, a final result may not be
available for days or weeks after
the election. With concerns around
the safety of in-person voting, a
record number of voters are using
absentee ballots. The restrictions
on when and how election officials
count absentee ballots, as well as an
expected increase in voter turnout
for the particularly contentious
election, make it unclear how long
voters will wait for a result.
This will be a particularly
important factor in Michigan, a key
state in the 2020 election, which
had the smallest margin of victory
in the 2016 election and had record
turnout in the August primary.
Michigan’s
ballot-counting
plan
In 2018, Michigan legislators
passed a no-excuse absentee voting
law, meaning anyone can request an
absentee ballot without providing
their reasoning, likely resulting in an
increase in the number of absentee
ballots. Michigan Secretary of
State Jocelyn Benson also mailed
applications for mail-in ballots to
every registered voter using funding
provided by the federal government
through
the
Coronavirus
Aid,
Relief and Economic Security Act.
The goal is to prevent the spread
of the coronavirus, ensuring “no
Michigander has to choose between
their health and their right to vote.”
In recent weeks, the rate of
spread of COVID-19 has increased
in Michigan. In an Oct. 21 press
conference,
Michigan
Gov.
Gretchen Whitmer said the COVID-
19 situation in Michigan is getting
worse and that she was “sounding
the alarm.”
“I’m just going to be frank: our
numbers are not good,” Whitmer
said. “They’re moving in the wrong
direction.”
In the August primary, more
absentee voter ballots were cast
than
in
any
other
Michigan
election. Out of the 2.5 million total
votes cast in Michigan, 1.6 million
of those were from absentee ballots.
The previous record for absentee
ballots was 1.3 million in the 2016
presidential election. Benson has
said she expects at least 2.4 million
people to vote by mail in the Nov. 3
election.
The rules for handling these
absentee ballots, however, may
result in vote counting delays. Clerks
cannot begin opening and counting
ballots until 7 a.m. on Election Day,
the same time the in-person polling
locations open. With so many votes
being cast by mail, this will likely
take longer than in previous years.
Not only will more absentee
ballots be cast, but more votes will
likely be cast overall. The 2.5 million
votes in the August election was a
record for primary election votes,
and election officials said they
believe approximately 5 million
Michigan voters are expected to
participate in the general election.
Benson has discussed the likely
delays on Election Day, explaining
in an NBC interview there will
likely not be full results on election
night.
“We should be prepared for this
to be closer to an election week as
opposed to an Election Day,” said
Benson. “The bottom line is that we
are not going to have the full results
and accounting of all of our ballots
on election night. We already know
that. We’ve asked the legislature
to make changes to the law to give
us more ability to be prepared and
count those ballots more efficiently
— they have not acted, for reasons I
don’t fully, completely understand.”
She also discussed the steps
election officials are taking to count
voters more quickly and efficiently,
while stressing the importance of
accurate reporting.
“We’re increasing tabulators,
we’re increasing capacity to more
efficiently
and
securely
count
those ballots — but I’m also laser
focused on accuracy,” said Benson.
“If it takes a few extra days to make
sure we have a full and accurate
counting of the results of every race,
that’s what it’s going to take. We’re
going to be transparent throughout
that whole process to make sure
every citizen knows exactly where
we are in the counting process and
how many more ballots we have to
get through.”
Washtenaw
County
Clerk
Lawrence Kestenbaum said he
believes many election offices,
and certainly those in Washtenaw
County, are equipped to quickly
count ballots and provide results. He
also acknowledges some Michigan
cities, such as Detroit and Flint, will
likely have a harder time providing
results quickly, as they have opted
not to pre-process ballots.
“So, there’s been a lot of thought
put into these things and we’ve
made a lot of progress,” Kestenbaum
said. “I’m very confident that it
should go smoothly, at least in
Washtenaw County. Contrary to
some of the rumors that are going
around, there’s not going to be a
delay in counting absentee ballots.
Absentee ballots will be counted
on Election Day at the same time as
other ballots and they’ll be reported
on election night the same as other
... precincts.”
Kestenbaum said he does not
agree with claims in the media
about Michigan being one of the
last states to report.. He believes
the results will be in by the next
morning. In other elections, such
as the March primary, results were
reported before 10 p.m., only hours
after polls closed.
Concerns
circling
around
mail-in ballots
Some are concerned about an
increase in voter fraud in this
election cycle, particularly resulting
from the increase in absentee
voting..
Others
are
concerned
ballots will be invalidated because
of strict laws surrounding how
mail-in ballots are placed in the
envelope and signed.
Though Trump’s administration
has planted seeds of doubt about the
legitimacy of mail-in ballots, voter
fraud in the United States is very
low.
Nick Schuler, vice chair of College
Republicans at the University of
Michigan and LSA sophomore,
discussed how he thinks in-person
voting can be made safer and how
mail-in voting can still happen,
while reducing the risk of voter
fraud.
“I think we should do voting as
usual, but obviously with increased
sanitary measures at the polling
places, ...,” Schuler said. “But should
someone not feel comfortable voting
in person, despite those measures, I
think they should be able to request
a mail-in ballot like you can every
other election … I don’t see the
need to just automatically send
(applications) to everyone when you
can request one like normal (which
would be) way less prone to fraud
because you have to go through that
process.”
Regina Egan, LSA and STAMPS
junior
and
communications
director of College Democrats,
wrote in an email to The Michigan
Daily she believes mail-in voting is
especially important in light of the
COVID-19 pandemic. While she is
not concerned about voter fraud, she
is apprehensive about results being
challenged and the focus of scrutiny
centering on mail-in ballots.
“All Americans deserve to be
able to vote freely and safely,” Egan
wrote. “In the middle of a pandemic,
the ability to vote absentee or
by mail is even more crucial in
preserving American democracy
and protecting American lives. I
absolutely trust the mail-in voting
system to be safe from things like
voter fraud. What I am worried
about is the fact that the large
number of mail-in ballots is so
unprecedented, which means that if
the election is narrow enough, then
those mail-in ballots will be highly
contested in a long drawn-out,
polarizing and partisan way.”
In the August primary, 10,600
ballots were rejected. 2,225 were
rejected because the envelopes
were not signed or the signature of
the voter did not match that which
the election office had on file.
Because
of
Michigan’s
importance in the election, these
rejected ballots have become a
concern for many voters. Trump
won Michigan with only 10,704
votes in 2016, almost the same
number of ballots that were rejected
in Michigan’s August primary.
Kestenbaum tried to alleviate
concerns about signature laws,
explaining the ballots rejected as
a result are a small proportion of
ballots received. He also said clerks
will try and contact voters to rectify
problems with their ballots.
“In
Michigan,
if
it’s
your
signature and your handwriting,
it’s not gonna be thrown out for
being different,” Kestenbaum said.
“The proportion of signatures and
absentee ballots that fail signature
matching is tiny. Historically, you
know, it’s not a large percentage,
by any means. The most common
problem with the ballot is if
someone forgets to sign it, the
outside envelope. And the rules
now are that if there’s time before
the election, the clerk will contact
the voter to have them know that
they can come in and sign it or do
something to remedy the problem.”
Anxieties
regarding
the
United States Postal Service
Many voters and elected officials
have also expressed doubts about
the United States Postal Service,
both in their ability to deliver ballots
on time and to handle the sensitive
nature of mail-in ballots.
In the August primary, 6,400
of the 10,600 ballots rejected were
received after election day, and
therefore could not be counted.
USPS told Michigan and 44 other
states in August they cannot
guarantee mail-in ballots would
arrive on time to be counted in the
November election.
These issues have largely arisen
over the past few months, as the
amount of mail and packages has
increased during the COVID-19
pandemic. Trump also appointed
Louis DeJoy, a vocal Republican
donor and Trump supporter, as
Postmaster General in May of 2020,
after the pandemic had already
complicated voters’ ability to cast
votes in person.
DeJoy has made many changes
to the agency, including limiting
overtime hours, removing about 15%
of high speed processing machines,
reshuffling top leadership and
implementing
restrictions
on
transportation, all of which seem to
be increasing delivery times. Eleven
high speed delivery bar code sorters
were removed from Detroit, a city
many believe will have difficulty
processing ballots on election day.
Benson has discussed the steps
Michigan is taking to ensure mail
in ballots are received on time and
the controversy surrounding USPS,
including constant communication
with
postmaster
leaders
and
creating drop boxes.
“But we’re now also facing a
perception issue — that the changes
in the postal service, if nothing else,
have created confusion and chaos
where none existed prior,” Benson
said.
Despite an initial court ruling
that would have allowed Michigan
ballots postmarked by Election Day
that arrived up to 14 days after to be
counted, the ruling was overturned
by an appeals court earlier this
month, reinstating the 8 p.m.
Election Day deadline.
Kestenbaum said more absentee
ballots have been returned earlier
this year, possibly eliminating some
concerns that large proportions of
ballots would not arrive on time. He
also suggested those who have not
returned a mail-in ballot yet to drop
it off at a city or county clerk’s office.
Many
Republican
politicians
believe the increase in mail-in
ballots through USPS will result in
an increase in voter fraud, as Trump
has often claimed.
Kestenbaum explained clerk’s
offices have procedures set up to
ensure no ballot tampering occurs
and have multiple people working
together on sensitive tasks.
“We have a very good record
in Michigan of administering
elections in a completely clean
and fair way,” Kestenbaum said.
“Poll workers, by the way, have
to identify their parties so you
have two poll workers of different
parties doing every sensitive task.
So if it involves handling ballots,
you have a Republican and a
Democratic coworker together,
doing whatever needs to be done
with the ballots.”
Schuler referred to a case in
New Jersey where a USPS worker
was arrested for allegedly dumping
mail, including election ballots. But
most experts say when problems
arise with mail-in voting, they do
not give either party an advantage
and do not lead to a false election
outcome.
“I have all the respect in the
world for the postal service, but I
don’t think a simple postal worker
should be in charge of delivering
200,000 ballots that could swing a
state and then swing the election,”
Schuler said.
Kestenbaum disagrees with the
concerns about USPS handling
ballots, saying poll workers will
handle ballots correctly.
“Postal workers are busy and
they’re dealing with a tremendous
quantity of mail all the time,”
Kestenbaum said. “And the idea
that they would single out a piece
of mail, out of the thousands of
pieces that they’re dealing with at
any given point and say, ‘aha, this
is someone from the wrong party,
so I need to get rid of their ballot.’ —
they don’t have time for that. ... So I
think the American postal service is
trustworthy.”
When asked how he expects
election results to unfold and how
Trump will react, Schuler said he
thinks the president will respect
the election outcome, but that the
way it is decided will certainly be
interesting.
“I think that the president
will respect the outcome of the
election,” Schuler said. “But again,
that being said, this election is going
to be interesting. Who knows what’s
gonna happen, when the results are
coming. You know, we could have
a Gore-Bush scenario where the
Supreme Court has a lot of sway, so
we’ll see.”
Egan
also
mentioned
the
drawn-out 2000 election between
former Vice President Al Gore
and former President George W.
Bush, explaining she thinks a clear
result would help reassure people
the government is still functioning
correctly.
“Concerns about US electoral
processes go back even before
2016 to 2000 with Gore and Bush,”
Egan wrote. “I believe Americans
want fast and clear results after
election night because it proves that
American democracy is safe and
working, and the 2000 presidential
election was anything but that.
If a large number of ballots is
invalidated for technicalities, then
this points to some part of our
electoral process that is not working
because American votes are not
getting counted.”
Daily
Staff
Reporter
Emma
Ruberg can be reached at eruberg@
umich.edu
EMMA RUBERG
Daily Staff Reporter
In 2016, LSA senior Cory Dubin,
a high school senior at the time,
walked into his local polling station
in White Lake, Michigan. Under 18
at the time, he wasn’t there to vote,
but to be a poll worker.
He said he walked out of the
polling station with new insights on
existing barriers to voting.
“Having worked at the polls,
there were certain things where I
noticed that people were missing
the opportunity to vote,” Dubin
said. “Not because they just didn’t
know there was an election or
something but because of mainly,
voter (mis)education … People who
want to vote should have the right
to do that — and there should be
nothing standing in the way.”
Dubin
became
an
Andrew
Goodman Foundation ambassador
his junior year of college. In this
role, he works with the Ginsberg
Center for Community Service
and Learning and the Big Ten
Voting Challenge to increase voter
registration across the University of
Michigan campus.
The Big Ten Voting Challenge,
founded in 2017, aims to produce
civic engagement and increase
voter participation among students
across the 14-school conference,
including the University. Ahead
of the 2020 election, the Big Ten
Voting Challenge has worked with
the Ginsberg Center and other
organizations across campus to
increase voter participation among
University students.
Michigan is a state where
students
could
prove
to
be
especially important, since it is
considered a key battleground
state in the 2020 election. In 2016,
President Donald Trump beat
then-Democratic nominee Hillary
Clinton by just more than 10,000
votes in Michigan.
In
2016,
37,456
University
students were eligible to vote, and
about the same number or more
are eligible to vote in this upcoming
election. However, only 25,557 were
registered in 2016 and only 16,740
ended up voting.
Usually, Dubin and the Ginsberg
Center would table and talk directly
to students. Because COVID-19 has
made traditional methods of voter
outreach unsafe, the group has
launched an Instagram page and
other virtual outreach campaigns
to encourage voters to participate in
the electoral process.
“What I would say is that
students
really
(have
started
to) realize their votes do make
a difference,” Dubin said. “And
whichever candidate you’re voting
for, you can either extend that lead
or minimize it. (So we need to make)
sure that regardless of party, people
do know that their votes do matter,
and they actually can impact the
results.”
LSA professor Josh Pasek, who
focuses on political communication
and how media influences political
attitudes, said social media can be
a useful tool to disseminate and
receive voting information.
“In
addition,
social
media
tends to display voting as a more
normative behavior,” Pasek said. “So
you’re less likely to see other people
doing democratic participatory acts
just walking around than you are to
see them on social media.”
Due to efforts by organizations
like the Big Ten Voting Challenge,
in the 2018 midterms, the average
number of registered student voters
in the Big Ten conference hit 43%,
3% higher than the national average
student voting rate and more than
double the rate in 2014. At the
University, the number of average
voters more than tripled from 2014
to 2018, going from 14% to 41%.
The passage of Proposal 3 in
2018, a voter initiative that amended
the state constitution and expanded
voter rights of Michiganders and
voter education efforts, also helped
organizations like the Big Ten
Voter Challenge reach students and
get them registered to vote. The
proposal allowed future elections
to have same-day registration and
absentee voting without an excuse.
This year, the Big Ten Voting
Challenge has also launched the
campaign “Student Orgs Vote!”
which
partners
with
student
organizations to encourage their
members to make a voting plan.
Public Policy junior Lena Hoppe,
philanthropy chair for Beta Alpha
Rho, a pre-law and public policy
fraternity on campus that has joined
the campaign, said her organization
had a meeting dedicated to sharing
resources from the campaign.
“Especially for younger students
or freshmen, I think it can be
overwhelming for first-time voters
… That’s why it’s important to lay
everything out there,” Hoppe said.
“And if you can vote, and here are all
your options and your ways of doing
this, we’re not forcing you to do it,
just (encouraging) you to do it.”
Members of the Big Ten Voting
Challenge also volunteer at the Ann
Arbor City Clerk’s satellite office at
the University of Michigan Museum
of Art. The UMMA satellite office
opened on Sept. 22, National Voter
Registration Day, after efforts by
campus organizations like the
Creative Campus Voting Project to
increase student voter registration
and engagement.
One of the volunteers, Public
Policy senior Meredith Days, said
it is encouraging to see students of
all ages volunteering, registering to
vote and casting their ballots at the
UMMA.
“There’s just a lot of people
signed up to (to volunteer), which is
great, and has been really exciting
to see because it’s a lot of people
that I don’t know,” Days said. “Like
younger students, which is great
because I feel like I know a lot of
people who are seniors, but I’m glad
that underclassmen are signing up
to do this well.”
Jacqueline Beaudry, city clerk of
Ann Arbor, said in an email to The
Michigan Daily that the satellite
office has registered 100 to 200
student voters every day for the past
40 days.
“Student volunteers at UMMA
with the Big Ten Voting Challenge
have helped work the line, answer
questions and hand out forms,”
Beaudry said. “This has been a
great assistance to the City Clerk
staff working the registration tables
and issuing ballots as quickly and
efficiently as possible.”
Dubin, who also interns with
the clerk’s office, said this year’s
momentum in increasing voter
turnout
and
emphasizing
the
importance of voting will impact
future elections.
“I do not think it’s going to be
limited to just one election, where it’s
like, ‘Okay, we voted, our candidate
won, let’s call it a day,’” Dubin said.
“Regardless of what happens in the
election, you’re going to see voters,
or potential voters really making
sure that they continue to engage
with the democratic process.”
Daily Staff Reporter Julia Forrest
can be reached at juforres@umich.
edu.
Big Ten Voter Challenge increases student participation
Concerted effort plays significant role in promoting turnout and involvement among college kids ahead of election
Final tallies unlikely to come in on the night of the election, people overwhelmingly turn to absentee and early voting
JULIA FORREST
Daily Staff Reporter