Post-Election Audit Pilot Program Continues

Liz Gullett

Dec 06, 2019

The Bureau of Elections is again partnering with local communities to perform risk-limiting audits to verify election results. This time, they are working to verify the November 5 election results with staff of Voting Works and the Brennan Center for Justice, along with the clerks of St. Joseph County, Kalamazoo County, Kalamazoo City, Rochester Hills, and Lansing. The audits are open to the public.

Risk-limiting audits have emerged nationally as the preeminent method for confirming election results. They use statistical methods to perform a comprehensive check on the accuracy of reported election results and to detect anomalies, possibly tied to human error or manipulation. Using a mathematical formula, auditors in each locality will randomly select ballots to confirm that the ballot tabulators correctly tallied election results.

Michigan began working last year with national experts to study and define risk-limiting audit methodology for states with individual precincts. Michigan first conducted pilot audits after the November 2018 midterm election.

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