What is election preprocessing and how does it affect the results?

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — As voters across metro Detroit begin heading to the polls early, the number of mail-in ballots is quickly piling up.

“I like it because sometimes you don’t know some information and then you can take the time to read it.” said Beth Goyt as she showed up to the Clinton Township Clerk’s office Wednesday to cast her ballot.

Goyt is one of nearly 25,000 voters who will cast absentee ballots in Clinton Township this election.

Employees like Kim Meltzer are tasked with counting all of these votes. Meltzer has been a clerk in Clinton Township for years and says about 50% of the 25,000 mail-in ballots they sent out have already been returned.

“We’re very busy right now, as you can imagine,” he said. Meltzer said.

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When it comes to getting results on Election Day, Meltzer hopes that a modified Michigan law that went into effect in 2024 allowing clerks to pre-process and tabulate mail-in ballots will ensure faster results when polls open on November 5 end.

Preprocessing is a system that allows clerks to perform all the steps they normally need to process a ballot and pre-enter it into a tabulator. This process is permitted a few days before the election. However, the results will not be revealed to them until the polls close on election day.

“I think it’s an opportunity for clerks, and we actually practiced the process in the February primary, the presidential primary and the August primary, so we were ready to go. This is a big choice. We wanted to practice if you’re like that,” Meltzer said.

While some clerks are taking advantage of the newly changed law, there is now growing concern about delayed results for clerks who forego pre-processing. In Warren, City Clerk Sonja Buffa has faced criticism as county leaders fear that failure to process mail-in ballots in a timely manner would lead to delayed election results.

Check out our previous report below where the Macomb County Ccerk explains the situation in Warren:

Why Macomb County clerk says election results could be delayed

Buffa sent the following statement to the 7 News Detroit newsroom:

Michael Siegrist is the clerk in Canton Township. He says his office has decided not to prepare for the 2022 elections but will take advantage of that decision.

“You no longer have to rush and wait, and it’s helpful because outside observers equate speed with accuracy. And so what often happens is that you don’t release the election results to the impatient people who are ready for it.” “With the results, they start to fill that vacuum with a lot of misinformation and disinformation, which can undermine trust in the electoral system “, Siegrist said. “The law has changed. The 2022 law allowed us to open the mail-in ballots and look at the ballot, but it did not allow us to remove the ballot and actually tabulate the ballot.”

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Voters say they are simply looking forward to seeing who the country’s next leader will be.

“Hopefully the person you want will win and these fights and arguments will end,” Goyt said.

Voters interested in voting by mail still have time to receive a ballot. Clerks recommend contacting them directly or picking up a ballot in person and returning it by hand to a ballot drop box to ensure it gets there safely.

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