Why have doubts. What to do.
By Allison Nicolai, MFE Contributor | December 4, 2023
Every decision made in this nation begins and ends at the ballot box. Those entrusted with our VOTE are responsible for the laws, policies and procedures governing our rights and freedoms both at the federal and state levels. Many people have some knowledge of issues that surrounded the November 2020 general election. For some, this nagging knowledge that something wasn’t quite right has led to lack of confidence regarding the casting and counting of their vote in our elections. Issues that contribute to believing that election integrity has been compromised include,
The issue in Antrim County regarding the machine error
A report shows Georgia’s Voting machines are critically vulnerable to hacking. What began as a forensic audit has spiraled into a federal court case and a multi-state conversation as to whether failing to update the software ahead of the 2024 election will compromise its security. The report, written in 2022 by University of Michigan computer science professor Alex Halderman, was kept under court-ordered seal until June 2023. Halderman’s examination found nine vulnerabilities as to how votes could be altered by someone who gained access to the voting equipment, such as a voter in a polling place or corrupt election officials. Plaintiffs in the federal court case are seeking to block the use of Dominion machines in Georgia's elections.
The closed-captioned video footage released by the Gateway Pundit of vehicles pulling into the TCF center unloading pallets of unsealed boxes containing ballots at 3:20 AM with no apparent chain of custody.
The disturbing fact that 71% of the precincts in Wayne County did not balance for certification, and the recent finding that the certification certificate was not properly signed
The horrendous results from the precinct recounts arranged after the 11/2022 election in Michigan.
Experts agree that true election integrity begins with clean voter rolls, and fortunately, everyone can join in the cause. With a little effort, volunteers can make a significant impact on the status of the integrity of the Michigan Voter rolls going into the 2024 election cycle. However, the time to act is NOW, in the lead-up to the election.
Ensuring clean and accurate voter rolls is not a partisan issue. Both the 1993 National Voting Rights Act (NVRA) and the Help America Vote Act with its Title 3 provisions require constant and honest maintenance of voter rolls.
Michigan is blessed with a tool to provide significant and independent citizen oversight of its voter rolls (called the Qualified Voter File or QVF). This important tool is CheckMyVote.org, a dynamic and free-to-use program that allows individuals and teams of users to report ineligible voter registrations. The CMV reporting mechanism enables users to review reports and present invalid registrations and addresses to election officials.
MFE’s statewide program for using CMV at the county level is called Soles to the Rolls. It includes comprehensive training on how to use CMV, door-knocking guidelines and materials for use in the local area to verify the data analysis, and training for working with clerks to help them understand the findings and take action to clean the voter rolls. Various clerks are now using CMV themselves as a handy tool.
To give it a try, a user may simply type in their home address and check how many people are registered to vote at that address.
Know any vacant homes or empty lots in your community? Use CheckMyVote to see if anyone is registered to vote at that address. If so, report this information to CheckMyVote and to the local clerk. This simple action will prevent the addition of future registrations at an invalid address and help remove invalid registrations.
Dirty voter rolls open the door to voter fraud. They serve as a slush fund for those who would steal elections. Every door closed makes it harder to cheat.
Other high-level features
The CMV voter registration analyzer accessible to county jurisdictions through Soles to the Rolls includes:
Ability to quickly identify and report non-residential addresses. No one resides at UPS stores, shopping centers, empty lots, and nonexistent floors in apartment buildings, so registrations at those locations violate Michigan election laws.
Ability to track, monitor, and report residential addresses that have more than 5 registrations.
Ensure all registrations are properly recorded in voter rolls with apartment numbers to prevent unauthorized mailed ballots from being delivered.
Beginning a relationship with County Clerks to potentially apply for CMV access to see what the flagged problem registrations for investigation or removal in their jurisdiction.
The public can get easily get involved in making a difference to voter rolls in their area just by reporting what they see and learn about their community to CheckMyVote.org.
No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. To become a part of restoring confidence in Michigan elections, visit Mifairelections.org today for more information on Soles to the Rolls as featured in the Federalist. Learn how you too may make a difference.
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The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Michigan Fair Elections. Artificial intelligence may have been used in the creation of this message or in the links referenced herein.