{"id":2350509,"date":"2024-10-03T21:29:47","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T01:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michigan-ignores-request-for-observation-of-mail-in-ballots\/"},"modified":"2024-10-03T21:33:17","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T01:33:17","slug":"michigan-ignores-request-for-observation-of-mail-in-ballots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michigan-ignores-request-for-observation-of-mail-in-ballots\/","title":{"rendered":"Michigan Ignores Request For Observation Of Mail-In Ballots"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmichigan-ignores-request-for-observation-of-mail-in-ballots%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2350509&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Chairman Bryan Steil of the Committee on House Administration has requested that Michigan Secretary \u200dof\u200b State \u200bJocelyn Benson clarify to local clerks that state \u200dparty-appointed observers, or challengers, are allowed to monitor the initial \u200cstage of mail-in ballot processing. Steil&#8217;s request follows testimony from Benson regarding confidence in elections and concerns that some\u200d clerks may believe challengers have no right to be present during\u200c this stage. He set a deadline for a response, but Benson&#8217;s\u200c office did not provide the requested clarification,\u2064 leading Steil to express\u200c disappointment and commit to further inquiries to ensure transparency.<\/p>\n<p>The mail-in ballot process in Michigan consists of two steps: initial processing by city and \u200ctownship clerks, which \u2063involves\u2064 checking voter registration, receipt of ballots, and signature verification, followed by\u2063 tabulation by a counting board. While there is \u2062agreement that challengers \u200dcan observe the tabulation step, \u2064the contention lies in the initial phase. Steil emphasizes that allowing challengers to observe this stage\u200b is vital for the integrity of any contested elections.<\/p>\n<p>In response to\u2064 Steil\u2019s inquiries, Michigan Secretary of State Chief Legal Director Michael Brady deflected the\u200b issue by \u200dstating that questions about\u200d challengers \u2064were not raised in the hearing. He distinguished between challengers\u200d and election observers, suggesting that challengers have limited \u200broles in the initial processing but can \u200bobserve\u2062 the issuance and receipt of ballots at clerk offices when these are open. However,\u200c his response does not directly address \u2062the core issue of whether challengers\u2062 may monitor \u200dsignature verification during the\u2063 initial processing stage.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>On behalf of the Committee on House Administration, Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., is asking Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to clarify to&nbsp;local clerks&nbsp;that&nbsp;state&nbsp;party-appointed observers, also called&nbsp;challengers,&nbsp;are permitted to&nbsp;monitor&nbsp;the initial stage of mail-in ballot processing, and her office is ignoring the request.<\/p>\n<p>In his Sept. 13 <a href=\"https:\/\/cha.house.gov\/_cache\/files\/2\/5\/256ab81c-a3b0-4a19-9694-e80a714efe6b\/0AB53147E8E52B9E2DCB34E440FD835D.correspondence-from-chairman-steil-to-sos-benson.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">letter<\/a> to Benson following her testimony at the committee&rsquo;s Sept. 11&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Xx-Cbw93qGI&amp;t=11s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hearing&nbsp;<\/a>on American confidence in elections, Steil asked Benson for clarification because, he wrote, &ldquo;it is the Committee&rsquo;s understanding that at least some clerk offices believe challengers have no right to be present during the initial processing of mail ballots and signature verification.&rdquo; Steil gave Benson a deadline of Sept. 23, 2024, to &ldquo;confirm and communicate to the various clerk offices that challengers are permitted to observe initial processing of mail ballots and signature verification.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Benson&rsquo;s office&nbsp;responded&nbsp;by the deadline, but did not say it would be issuing the requested clarification to clerks. In an email statement, Steil said, &ldquo;I was disappointed by the lack of information provided by the Michigan Secretary of State&rsquo;s office in response to my letter. Americans deserve secure and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-kelly-same-people-criticizing-trump-peddled-russia-collusion-hoax\/\" title=\"Mike Kelly: Same People Criticizing Trump Peddled Russia Collusion Hoax\">fair elections<\/a>. I will be following up to ensure we receive a fulsome response.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>The Point of Contention<\/h2>\n<p>Michigan&nbsp;has a two-step process for mail-in ballots.&nbsp;First,&nbsp;the city and township clerk offices&nbsp;receive and process the mail-in ballots,&nbsp;examining them on three levels. Is the elector (the person voting) properly registered to vote? When was the ballot received? Can the signature on the ballot be verified? The second step in mail-in ballot processing is tabulating the ballots by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-canvassers-rescind-their-votes-to-certify-wayne-county-michigan-results\/\" title=\"Republican Canvassers Rescind Their Votes to Certify Wayne County, Michigan, Results\">voter counting board<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>There&rsquo;s no dispute about having Michigan challengers in the second step of the process. The&nbsp;committee&rsquo;s concern is the initial phase.<\/p>\n<p>The Committee on House Administration has the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/constitution.congress.gov\/browse\/article-1\/section-5\/#:~:text=Neither%20House%2C%20during%20the%20Session,two%20Houses%20shall%20be%20sitting.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">constitutional authority<\/a>&nbsp;to oversee elections to the U.S. House of Representatives. Steil argues in his letter that challengers are essential observers: &ldquo;[I]n the event there is a contested House election in Michigan, it will assist us in assessing the reliability of the results.&rdquo; Steil concludes by saying it would be &ldquo;absurd&rdquo; to permit challengers to observe in-person voting, but then prohibit challengers from observing mail voting.<\/p>\n<p>Writing on behalf of Benson, Michigan Secretary of State Chief Legal Director&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/michael-brady-jr\/overlay\/1635519438824\/single-media-viewer\/?profileId=ACoAABForsUBHI8rU7auj_Wu2QXap2V-GvpJI54\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Michael Brady<\/a>&rsquo;s Sept. 23&nbsp;response&nbsp;to Steil&rsquo;s request obfuscates the issue. Brady first argues that questions about Michigan challengers were not raised in the hearing. He then writes that observers are called poll watchers&nbsp;in Michigan, while challengers have an entirely separate role.<\/p>\n<p>Brady then details what challengers are allowed to do in the first step, the initial stage of the process: &ldquo;Each challenger-credentialing organization may assign one challenger to observe the issuance and receipt of absent voter ballots at a clerk&rsquo;s office or a satellite location maintained by the clerk, including an Election Day Vote Center. A challenger may be present at the clerk&rsquo;s office only when the office is open for business and during the period prior to an election when voters may request or return an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rnc-files-another-election-related-lawsuit-against-democrat-michigan-secretary-of-state\/\" title=\"RNC Sues Democratic Michigan Secretary of State Over Election Issues\">absent voter ballot<\/a> at the office.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Michigan Fair Elections Founder Patrice Johnson explains how this system works in reality: &ldquo;What <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/strong-turnout-in-frances-high-stakes-elections-as-support-for-the-far-right-grows-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Strong turnout in France\u2019s high-stakes elections as support for the far right grows - Washington Examiner\">people don&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t realize is clerks aren&rsquo;t always conducting the initial phase of the mail-in ballot processing in their offices during <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-bidens-no-show-job-here-pulled-in-a-massive-amount-of-income\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden\u2019s No-Show Job Here Pulled in a Massive Amount of Income\">regular office hours<\/a>. We have clerk sources here in Michigan telling us they take ballots home where they check the voter registration, document date and time of receipt and verify the signature.&rdquo; All that is happening with no challengers present, she adds.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson explains why the clerks take the ballots home: &ldquo;Mail-in ballots require more scrutiny and only the clerks are allowed to do it. And now our clerks are inundated with mail-in ballots.&rdquo; Johnson says many clerks are working part-time, and so they sometimes work from home to keep up. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s understandable, but it does create chain-of-custody questions and transparency problems. And obviously, it is a situation bad actors could exploit. How can we be sure registrations are checked? How do we know ballot signatures are actually verified? The truth is, we don&rsquo;t.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/elections\/how-vote-early-2024-election-8a22fa37?mod=wknd_pos1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">36 states<\/a>, voters are sent mail-in ballots automatically or a mail-in ballot can be requested without justification. As Steil notes in his letter to Benson, &ldquo;Transparency is especially important for mail voting, which the U.S. Supreme Court has found to be more vulnerable to fraud than in-person voting. Allowing observers to watch the processing of mail ballots guards against potential fraud and promotes public confidence.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Kristine Christlieb is a senior correspondent for Michigan Fair Elections.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chairman Bryan Steil requests clarification from Michigan&#8217;s Secretary of State on challengers monitoring mail-in ballot processing, but her office is unresponsive<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3334,"featured_media":2350511,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/50537179122_aff2c8392f_o-scaled-e1727388100987.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[32644,39540,4601],"class_list":["post-2350509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-election-integrity","tag-mail-in-ballots","tag-michigan"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/50537179122_aff2c8392f_o-scaled-e1727388100987.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2350509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3334"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2350509"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2350509\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2350511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2350509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2350509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2350509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}