Big city Michigan is opting against early verification of mail-in ballots, potentially slowing results

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A decision by the elections official in Michigan’s third-largest city is raising concerns about a slowdown in reporting of election night results in a county that is in the sights of both presidential campaigns and that has a competitive congressional race.

The city clerk in Warren, who also oversees elections in the Macomb County city, has decided against implementing a new state law that allows election offices to begin processing mail-in ballots before Election Day. The vast majority of precincts in the presidential election-contested state are taking advantage of the law, which allows them to begin verifying signatures and other identifying information eight days earlier.

City Clerk Sonja Djurovic Buffa said that in light of other changes coming into effect for election officials this year, such as the expansion of early voting, she decided to process mail-in ballots on Election Day, just as her office has done for years.

She said processing those ballots at the same time would be more efficient and suggested that processing them before Election Day opens up the possibility of early release of results.

“For me, accuracy comes first, then speed comes second,” Buffa, who has worked in elections for more than two decades, said in a written statement.

According to the law passed as part of a broader citizens’ initiative in 2022, which was also expanded early votingMunicipalities with 5,000 or more inhabitants have the opportunity to do this Start processing mail-in ballots early, but it doesn’t have to be. As in previous years, the results would only be announced after the polling stations closed.

Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini, a Republican, said he was disappointed with Buffa’s decision and said it could delay the unofficial results on election night. He said people in Michigan and across the country are looking for results in races that are “razor thin” in their county.

Macomb County is part of suburban Detroit and is considered important for winning statewide elections. It also includes part of Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, where voters will see a closely contested rematch between Republican incumbent John James and his Democratic challenger Carl Marlinga.

Warren, the most populous city, is a Democratic stronghold in a county that has trended Republican in recent years. Trump handily won Macomb County in 2016 and 2020.

The deadline for notifying the clerks has expired Office of the Secretary of State whether postal ballots are pre-processed. Angela Benander, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, said 245 communities took advantage of the new law, which allows for early processing. Smaller cities get a one-day head start instead of eight days.

“More notably, all 15 largest jurisdictions except Warren will conduct preprocessing,” Benander said in a written statement.

Canton Township Clerk Michael Siegrist said not processing mail-in ballots in such a densely populated city would mean a longer wait for the winners of certain races to be announced. He added that the need for instant gratification on election night makes it harder for the public to wait and could open the door to misinformation.

“Nature abhors a vacuum, and people will fill that vacuum,” Siegrist said in a phone call with reporters.

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Associated Press writer Christina A. Cassidy in Atlanta contributed to this report.