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Secretary of State assures voter, election safety during Nov 8 election

Posted at 6:31 AM, Nov 04, 2022
and last updated 2022-11-04 06:31:07-04

(WXYZ) — Voters in metro Detroit are once again concerned over ballot counting.

"We've got to have faith in the elections and all that and it just...there was a lot of shady stuff going on," Detroit voter Joseph Hardville said.

But Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson wants to reassure voters that they are taking election security very seriously and do not want a repeat of 2020.

"The election will be safe, secure, fair and the results will be an accurate reflection of the will of the people," Benson said.

Benson adds that there will be mobile response teams throughout the state ready to respond to any issues.

Nearly 4000 poll workers will process the 60,000 plus absentee ballots for Detroit voters. Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey says it's a stressful job.

"We have lots to do and the staff is really breaking down. We have this virus that's going on and we're all trying to be safe and mask up but we're spent. We're spent," she said.

So far in Michigan, nearly 1.3 million people have already submitted their ballots by mail and in the coming days nearly 3 million voters will cast their vote on election day.

Poll workers will be under a microscope adding to the stress and safety concerns.

"I think it's unfortunate that some people have been lead to believe things that simply aren't true," Ferndale voter Matthew Wilson said. "And they're taking out their action on some good people who are just looking to volunteer and help their country."

County clerks have been given a poll worker code of conduct ahead of election day. If there are any interruptions, the state is ready to address the interference or disruptions to the election process.

"We've worked with election officials statewide as well as federal. State and local law enforcement agencies and we will work with all of them continuously to assure the safety and security of every voter and every person in this election," Benson said.

Daniel Baxter, the Detroit Director of Elections says they'll have a lion's share of votes counted by 9 or 10 p.m. from the city of Detroit.