By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com

The voting process and integrity of elections in Livingston County were the focus of a virtual program Tuesday night.

The non-partisan League of Women Voters of Livingston County partnered with the Howell Carnegie District Library to host the event titled “From Start to Finish: The Voting Process in Livingston County”. It featured Livingston County's Deputy Clerk and Elections Coordinator Joe Bridgman, Brighton City Clerk Tara Brown, and the Livingston County Board of Canvassers Chair Judy Williams and Vice-Chair Carla Chapman.

The program focused on the voting process while stressing the integrity, security and accuracy of elections – with officials stating they wanted to make sure the right information is getting out and assuring that “local elections are in great hands”.

A good portion of the program focused on absentee ballots, including how they’re processed before and after elections. All absentee ballots must be received by 8pm on Election Day in order to be counted. Once turned in, the clerk processes it. The ballot is matched with the application to verify signatures match and it’s also matched with the qualified voter file and scanned in before being placed in a secure location in a clerk’s office.

Clerk Brown explained that if someone were to contact the clerk’s office about the status of their ballot; they know exactly how many are there on any given day, how many have been checked in, and how many are outstanding. She noted that clerks can easily provide that information and they do field a lot of questions during larger election cycles, adding most would be happy to explain the process.

Other aspects covered were election equipment and testing, how votes are tabulated, security measures, how voter rolls are maintained, how the Board of Canvassers operates, how a canvas is conducted and results are certified, post-election audits, and record keeping.

A call was put out for election inspectors and various resources were discussed that can be found on the Livingston County Clerk’s webpage under elections.

A copy of the presentation is attached. The program will also be made available on both the League and the Library’s YouTube channels.