tHE onLY cOUNTY TO DO A FORENSIC AUDit

I was elected as a County Clerk in the fall of 2020. I took my office in the beginning of 2021. 

I called for a Forensic Audit of the Macomb County election server, the election software as well as the communication systems (the only place I had and have jurisdiction to do so) long before everyone even understood what a forensic audit was. 

A forensic audit is an official term for a very detailed investigation into the election processes and procedures. 

Citizens all over Michigan have been gravely concerned with election processes - rightfully so - and in Macomb County, the third largest county in Michigan, it was no different. 

My investigation was well worth the time. Because of our investigation we 

• Were the first county in Michigan to remove the modems
• Required that two people had to swipe into the server room
• We trained all our County Clerks to do HASH validations (to ensure there was not any outside influence in the programming software foreign or domestic)
• Watermarked ballots
• Improved transparency of ballots to our citizens

And I made everything public and transparent online. We immediately posted the report on our website. It is still available to this day. 

Did you know that forensic audits are not a part of the current Secretary of State rule book? It is not even properly defined and it is not a part of the law. 

When I am elected as the next Secretary of State of Michigan we will make Forensic Audits a priority. 

• I will work with the Michigan Legislature to put “forensic audit” into law, making it a regular feature of office standard around the state 
• We will examine chain-of-custody records, review audit logs from electronic voting systems, we will review mail-ballot related materials and use analytic tools of the highest standards to examine the nuts and bolts of election administration to determine if there is any nefarious behavior taking place. And we will address it immediately. 

Review Copies of the Reports Here

Facts relating to “forensic audits” in Michigan (elections)

• Michigan relies on established mechanisms such as canvassing, recounts, procedural audits, and risk-limiting audits.

The SOS document explains risk-limiting audits (statistical hand counts to confirm outcomes within a risk limit) and procedural audits (opening ballot containers, comparing ballots to poll book/tallies, checking processes).
 

• Michigan has a constitutional and statutory framework for post-election audits: the Bureau of Elections’ 2024 post-election audit report notes audits are required under Michigan election law, and references constitutional changes from Proposal 2018-3 and Proposal 2022-2 (including that post-election audits must be conducted only by election officials).
• After the 2024 General Election, the Michigan SOS office reported “nearly 500 audits across the state,” including a risk-limiting audit sample and procedural audits in randomly selected precincts.
• Michigan issued guidance warning clerks about requests to perform a “forensic audit” of tabulators/election software, emphasizing that access to voting equipment is limited to election officials, licensed vendors, and accredited voting system test labs - citing legal and chain-of-custody risks.​

Proper protocols matter. Transparency matters. Rule of law matters. Good systems matter. 
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I have been demonstrating my commitment to these things for years and will continue to do so in all 83 counties when elected as your next Secretary of State!