Election officials 'plan for the worst, hope for the best'

LANSING -- Whether you follow the "Make America Great Again" mantra, proclaim "I'm With Her" or want to pursue another option, state and local officials are determined to prevent chaos and intimidation at your polling place on Nov. 8.

Rhetoric from Donald Trump that claims the election process is "rigged," Hillary Clinton's accusations that Trump is a threat to national security, and fears of cyber-attacks won't deter election day strategies the state's major political parties and local officials intend to follow.

"Plan for the worst," East Lansing City Clerk Marie Wicks said. "Hope for the best."

What could happen on election day is anyone's guess given all the contentiousness shared between Trump, Clinton, their supporters and undecideds looking for a direction to turn. Political echo chambers created on TV, in print, at rallies, within stump speeches and via social media sites like Facebook and Twitter appear to amplify divisiveness.

There's also concerns about the security of the voting system after several states have reported hacking attempts. Michigan, with a decentralized voting system, is an unlikely target, according to state election officials. The Secretary of State's website calls Michigan the most decentralized election system in the nation. It is one of eight states that administer elections on the local level, with 83 county clerks, 274 city clerks and 1,242 township clerks, who keep voter registration records and oversee elections in their jurisdictions.

Your 2016 guide to local elections

Potential hacking of vote tabulator machines appears unlikely, according to election officials, because they can't be accessed over the internet. All Michigan voters use optical scan ballots which require voters to either darken an oval or connect the head and tail of an arrow next to each ballot choice. The ballots are then fed into the tabulator.

Area election officials have not received any specific threats about disrupting the polls and all said they are committed to smooth operations on election day.

Despite all the factors that could lead to worries, Ingham County's Barb Byrum is confident, yet cautious. The county has 203,773 registered voters.

"The polling locations are a sacred place and will be kept that way as far as I’m concerned," Byrum said.

If there are disruptions that violate voters' civil rights or create security concerns, the Michigan Secretary of State's Office advises those involved in the election process to call their local clerk's office or law enforcement. The office, like others across the country, has a formal procedure that's given to precinct workers. Training for local clerks is conducted by county clerks and state Bureau of Elections staff.

In addition to precinct workers and clerks, designated challengers and poll watchers must follow protocol on election day. Challengers are appointed by groups that applied and got approval from a local clerk. They observe election inspectors at work and follow the state's legal procedure for making challenges of voters. They must carry the approved identification of the organization that sent them and must be registered to vote in Michigan.

Poll watchers are casual observers who are not appointed by a political party or other authorized group. They do not have to be registered to vote in Michigan and have no ability to challenge voters or precinct workers.

Both challengers and watchers must follow standards of conduct and are not allowed to speak with voters or intimidate them in any way.

Nobody is allowed to campaign within 100 feet of the polls.

"State law empowers the precinct workers to 'maintain peace, regularity and order at the polling place,' said Fred Woodhams, an spokesman for the Secretary of State's elections division, in an email to the Lansing State Journal.

Clerks in Eaton, Ingham and Clinton counties anticipate having an equal amount of Democrat and Republican poll workers.

Bipartisanship is the lifeblood of any fair election process, and this one will be no different, Eaton County Clerk Diana Bosworth said.

She's concerned about any doubts over the legitimacy of the process. “The only thing that comes to mind when I hear things like that is that I’d like more people to know about the security of our elections," Bosworth said. "It’s a top priority in Michigan and in all the local counties. It takes both parties to oversee these elections on a local level."

State officials with the two major political parties don't appear willing to be caught up in the vitriol often tied to this presidential election.

Sarah Anderson, the Michigan Republican Party's spokesperson, said in a statement the party recruits poll challengers and poll watchers across the state who are under explicit instructions to not engage "in any way" with voters. She did not speak on behalf of Trump's campaign.

Anderson said there have been instances of voter fraud in Michigan, so the party's election day operations are meant to safeguard against it. "If voters are feeling intimidated, they should absolutely report that to election workers," Anderson said.

Paul Kanan, a state Democratic Party spokesman, said his party's volunteers will also do their jobs to ensure that anyone who is entitled to vote will be allowed to exercise their right "free from any intimidation or discomfort." The party expects election day to run smoothly, he said.

"However, as with every election, we will be prepared to respond to any individual or organized efforts attempting to make it harder for people to vote," Kanan said.

Ballots will be hefty, especially in Lansing, because there are a variety of choices ranging from who will be in the U.S. Congress and state Legislature to whether the city should be authorized to sell or "otherwise dispose of" a nearly century-old house in a park.

Deb Sutherland, Clinton County's chief deputy clerk, said some 300 election workers were trained over the summer, although she did not think the county would deploy that many.

She also reminded that voters can take advantage of absentee voting or look up their ballot online before going to the polls to make the process easier. A guide to the 2016 elections can be found on the LSJ's website at http://on.lsj.com/2eNAMkd.

Voters must have requests to have an absentee ballot mailed to them received by their clerk no later than 2 p.m. Nov. 5. Absentee voters have until 8 p.m. on election day to complete the ballot and return it to the clerk's office. Ballot applications can be downloaded at the Michigan Secretary of State's website, www.michigan.gov/sos.

Availability of trained election workers doesn't appear to be an issue in Mid-Michigan.

As of last week, Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope had trained about 500 election workers who are expected to make about $10 to $13.50 an hour. He wanted to hire up to 40 more so they can be spread out among the city's 45 precincts. It's better to aim for more workers than necessary, especially this year, he said.

“I don’t remember ever having a (presidential) candidate say 'Go watch the polls because there is cheating,'" Swope said.

In East Lansing, Marie Wicks, the city clerk, anticipates having "somewhere north" of 300 election workers, with an equal amount of Republicans and Democrats. She intends to spend most of her time on election day on Michigan State University's campus to make sure operations go smoothly.

Wicks will deploy "line chasers" who can access via a smart device information for people who need to know where they are registered to vote. She also plans to have talks with members of the East Lansing and MSU police departments to make sure polling places are safe.

It's hard not to have opinions about this presidential election, but Wicks said she does her best to put politics aside and simply do her job.

“At the end of the day, you care about the integrity of the process," Wicks said. "Yes, you have a personal feeling about the outcome, but we as clerks need to know we ran a good and clean election.”

Eric Lacy is a reporter for the Lansing State Journal. Contact him at (517) 377-1206 or elacy@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricLacy.