GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Michigan Bureau of Elections has released its final report detailing the recounts and audits from the 2024 presidential election, which it claims affirms the department’s integrity and accuracy.
The report included three reviews: a recount of the State House 44th District Race, a ballot audit of 166 precincts, and a procedural audit of 378 randomly selected precincts.
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A recount in the 44th District shows the winner actually won by more votes than previously thought. The initial ballot count showed the candidate won by 61 votes. The recount found the candidate actually won by 79 votes.
The ballot audit reviewed the difference between ballots counted by a machine and a hand count. The 166 precincts, which are randomly selected, held a total of 119,567 ballots. The hand count determined the machine misread 33 ballots, a .0275% error rate. The BOE says slight discrepancies between machine counts and hand counts are normal, and typically an average of just one vote per precinct.
The ballot audit also found that both major party presidential candidates gained votes in the hand count. Democrat Kamala Harris gained 11 votes in the hand count, while Republican Donald Trump gained 10 votes. Jill Stein, of the Green Party, lost the most votes with six.
The BOE says each of the 378 precincts randomly selected for a post-election audit were found to be in compliance, approved on more than 70 different procedures, including actions required before, during and after Election Day and including each voting method.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson hailed the post-election audits as “critical” to Michigan’s election security.
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“Hundreds of bipartisan state, county and local election officials worked tirelessly to review the processes, procedures and results of Michigan’s historic 2024 election,” Benson said in a statement. “I’m especially grateful for the professionalism of these election administrators, whose thorough preparation and attention to detail continue to ensure our elections are secure and the results are an accurate reflection of the will of the voters.”
The full report has been published on the Secretary of State’s website.
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