State Canvassers’ Handbook Sticks to the Law
Answers for Busy Election Officials
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Contact: Kristine Christlieb
817.528.9471
Oct. 22, 2024, STOCKBRIDGE, Mich. — Between new election legislation, changing guidelines, and judicial decisions, election officials are finding it hard to keep track of who does what. After its recent publication of Michigan Election Law Summary and FAQs, Michigan Fair Elections Institute (MFEI) is turning its attention specifically to election canvassers and releasing its latest publication, Responsibilities and Rights of County Boards of Canvassers.
Writing in the foreword, Norman B. Shinkle, former Michigan state senator and former member of the four-person Michigan Board of State Canvassers, says that, until now, newly appointed canvassers received “little assistance as to the nature of the job and the responsibilities.”
Shinkle goes on to point out canvassers often get “bad advice … that usually is verbal. Having a document to refer to would be invaluable, and I recommend county canvassers keep this work by their sides.”
Patrick Shaughnessy, founder and CEO of Politylitics, also provides an endorsement in the foreword, noting, “The 2024 election will be one of the most contested in U.S. history. . . . We need this resource now, more than ever.”
Each of Michigan’s 83 counties has a four-person board of canvassers, two from the Secretary of State’s party and two from the party with the second highest votes for Secretary of State. Typically, this allocation of party parity results in a board of two Republicans and two Democrats.
Canvassers’ primary responsibilities are to certify election results and oversee any recounts. MFEI’s handbook will be tied directly to Michigan election law and help canvassers better understand the scope of their responsibilities and duties.
“This publication will not be a substitute for legal advice, but it will be tied directly to Michigan law. It will not go beyond that. This way members of each board of canvassers can read the unvarnished law,” explained Patrice Johnson, MFEI founder and Chair.
MFEI will be mailing copies of the publication to all Michigan canvassers free of charge and posting the document on its website tomorrow.
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