Watchdog: Michigan’s 2026 election credible, cites minor glitches, procedural lapses

DETROIT — A nonpartisan watchdog effort concluded that Michigan’s 2026 general election was credible and well-administered overall, despite routine equipment glitches and minor procedural lapses at polling places across the state.

The Michigan Election Observation Project released its preliminary findings following Election Day on Nov. 3. Sponsored by The Carter Center and implemented in partnership with Veterans for All Voters, the state-staffed project deployed 223 trained observers to 234 polling locations across 15 Michigan counties.

Observers monitored operations in a range of rural and urban jurisdictions, including Wayne, Oakland, Kent, Macomb, Genesee, Ingham, Kalamazoo, Washtenaw, Muskegon, Ottawa, Marquette, St. Joseph, Leelanau, Berrien and Antrim counties.

Smooth openings, high compliance

According to the preliminary report, Election Day operations began with strong adherence to standard procedures.

Observers who monitored pre-opening steps at 188 polling locations confirmed that polls opened on time statewide, with every observed venue operational within 10 minutes of the 7 a.m. start.

At locations where observers had an unobstructed view, workers verified that tamper-evident seals on tabulators and Voter Assist Terminals, or VATs, were intact before opening. Inspectors generally printed zero tapes before voting commenced to confirm that no ballots were pre-recorded.

Observers reported that election workers strictly followed voter identification and affidavit laws. When electronic pollbooks experienced minor technical glitches, poll workers routinely switched to physical paper pollbooks to prevent interruptions.

Tabulator jams, equipment challenges

Operational hurdles surfaced during the voting hours. MEOP documented tabulator difficulties — primarily paper jams — at nearly half of the polling places observed.

While poll workers resolved most jams efficiently by directing voters to place ballots into secure auxiliary bins for later scanning, inspectors at two polling locations in Wayne and Marquette counties failed to implement backup protocols promptly, leading a small number of voters to leave without casting their ballots.
Accessibility equipment also faced sporadic downtime.

In Wayne County, an access code error rendered a VAT unavailable for more than 30 minutes, forcing a voter to mark a standard ballot. In Marquette County, a headphone malfunction on a VAT required a voter to seek assistance from a bipartisan team of election inspectors.

Operational discrepancies at closing

MEOP observers monitored closing and canvass procedures at 186 polling places, confirming that all voters standing in line at 8 p.m. were permitted to cast their ballots.

However, team members logged isolated departures from standard protocol.

In Wayne County, inspectors failed to document or resolve an instance where one more ballot was tabulated than the total number issued to voters. In Leelanau County, tabulation halted prematurely on election night.

Observers also noted instances across multiple counties where election materials were not transported to receiving boards by bipartisan two-person teams as prescribed by state rules. MEOP noted that county canvassing boards could verify and reconcile chain-of-custody documentation during the official certification process.

External disruptions caused minor delays throughout the day. A fire alarm in Wayne County triggered a 20-minute evacuation that led some voters to leave before completing their ballots.

Brief power outages occurred at two polling places in Marquette County, though backup generators prevented delays. In Leelanau County, a poll worker's fall required emergency medical care, causing a brief pause without interrupting voter access.

Recommendations for electoral reform

To address the documented operational gaps, MEOP outlined four key preliminary recommendations:

• Enhanced inspector training: Reinforce training to ensure poll workers immediately transition to backup procedures when tabulators malfunction.
• Strict chain of custody: Enforce consistent adherence to rules regarding the secure, bipartisan transport of election materials to receiving boards.
• Clarified access rules: Clear up administrative guidance surrounding poll watcher access to reduce confusion during pre-opening procedures.
• Improved venue layouts: Require local clerks to consider spatial constraints when selecting polling places to guarantee clear lines of sight for observers while protecting voter privacy.

MEOP's observation effort covers the entire 2026 election cycle, including pre-election equipment testing, early voting, absentee vote processing, Election Day operations, and ongoing county canvasses. The organization plans to publish a final, comprehensive report detailing its findings in January.

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