Michigan’s vote certification process explained

Michigan voters cast their votes. With Election Day over, the process of converting unofficial election results into certified results begins.

Here’s a look at the next stage of the selection process:

District election boards approved the election results

In Michigan’s 83 counties, bipartisan county canvassing boards, each comprised of two Democrats and two Republicans, will review election materials, including poll books and vote totals, and meet to certify results. At the end of the poll, nationwide vote totals are reviewed and a certificate is signed declaring the results. They have 14 days after the election to finish the job, and this year the deadline is November 19.

But county boards of pollsters will have to do so if unofficial results show the margin of victory in the statewide presidential election is less than 25,000 votes. speed up this program. The Michigan Secretary of State may direct county boards of elections to certify presidential election results by the seventh day after the election or before the 14th day after the election.

If a county board cannot meet the deadline, the State Board of Canvassers will take over and complete the county survey. The governor’s office will bear the cost of completing the canvas.

Michigan State Board of Canvassers certifies statewide results

Once the results of the 83 Michigan counties are certified, the State Board of Canvassers, made up of two Democrats and two Republicans, will meet to certify the statewide results and the results of races that cross county lines (for example, a congressional race). or a multi-county state legislative district).

The state board has 20 days after the election to certify the results, which falls on this year’s Nov. 25 deadline. If the margin of victory for the presidential election is less than 25,000, this date may be earlier, again at the discretion of the secretary of state. votes.

Presidential voters gather

Confirmation by the state board of pollsters (pending any recount requests) marks the end of the road for most election results. But not the presidential race. After the state board certified Michigan’s statewide presidential results, governor must provide a certificate listing the names of the state’s presidential electors at least six days before the electors meet. The governor must forward the certificate to each voter and the archivist of the United States. During caucuses, Michigan’s political parties choose their candidates for presidential and vice presidential electors. These candidates have often been party activists for years.

More: Find complete 2024 Michigan election results here

More: What is the Electoral College, how many voters are there in Michigan?

Michigan’s presidential electors are due to meet in the Michigan Senate chamber at 2 p.m. on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December after the election. This year it is December 17th. They will officially vote for president and vice president that day.

Congress approves presidential election

On January 6, Congress will meet to count the Electoral College votes. The vice president serves as the presiding officer for this joint session. Each state is called in alphabetical order, and lawmakers can object to a state’s voter rolls; For this list to be considered, the support of one-fifth of the members in each parliament is required. In order for a state’s voter list to be counted, both houses of Congress must accept the objection.

This final step to determine the winner of the presidential election received little attention until 2021, when former President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol to prevent Congress from certifying the results. It was a violent day that broke a long tradition of the peaceful transition of presidential power in the United States

Contact Clara Hendrickson: [email protected] or 313-296-5743. Follow him on X, formerly called Twitter, @clarajanehen.

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This article was first published in the Detroit Free Press: 2024 election results: Michigan’s election certification released