Audits of the 2024 general election affirm the state’s elections are “secure and accurate,” the Michigan Bureau of Elections said Monday.
“Careful, detailed and thorough post-election audits are critical to election security and accuracy,” Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said. “Hundreds of bipartisan state, county and local election officials worked tirelessly to review the processes, procedures and results of Michigan’s historic 2024 election.
“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.”
Benson’s department on Monday, Oct. 13, released its report on the recounts, ballot audits and post-election procedural audits conducted after the 2024 general election.
For the statistical statewide ballot audit, 166 randomly selected city and township precincts were sampled.
The audit, mandated after every statewide general election since Proposal 3 was passed in 2018, seeks to identify any tabulation errors that could have altered the election outcome.
Of the 119,597 ballots hand counted in the audit, the audit found a total difference of 33 votes between the machine and hand counts, which is about 0.03% of audited ballots. Benson’s office said these slight discrepancies between machine and hand counts are normal and typically have an average difference of 1% of the vote.
Then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris gained 11 votes, a difference of 0.022% from the sampled ballots, and then-Republican presidential candidate President Donald Trump gained 10 votes, a difference of 0.014% from the sampled ballots.
The Bureau of Elections also conducted post-election procedural audits at the precinct level, including a hand count of the presidential race in each of 378 randomly selected precincts. This audit, too, is required after every statewide general election following the passage of Proposal 3 in 2018.
The audits are meant to ensure election officials and inspectors followed the required procedures before, during and after Election Day and cover each voting method, including early in-person voting, voting by mail and Election Day voting.
“Overall, the procedural audits met the standard of good general compliance with election requirements and verified the reported election outcomes were correct,” Benson’s office said. “BOE will strengthen future election trainings to help clerks, election workers, and election inspectors avoid common minor errors and compliance issues found in the audit.”
The report also covered the recount of the race for the 44th District Michigan House seat.
In that race, now-former state Rep. Jim Haadsma, D-Battle Creek, was ousted by a small margin secured by Republican contender, and now state representative, Steve Frisbie.
That recount found Frisbie had 79 more votes, rather than 61 more votes, over Haadsma. It initially looked like Frisbie had won the seat by 1,381 votes, but the race became much tighter after a software error was discovered.
Haadsma requested the recount.
With more than 5.7 million ballots cast, the 2024 general election was the largest-ever turnout in the state’s history.
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