With the final results of the Iowa Democratic caucuses from Monday still not official, the Michigan Secretary of State’s office says the same sort of problems can’t happen in the Great Lakes State. Communications director Jake Rollow is reminding voters Michigan uses traditional paper ballots and counting machines in all elections, does not hold caucuses, and especially does not entrust any votes to new and untested smartphone apps.
“Iowa obviously ran into technology issues,” says Rollow. “They were using new technology created this year in expectation of the caucuses. We are not using new technology in our primaries or in our elections.”
He says the biggest challenge facing local clerks in the March 10 presidential primary and the November general election will be the expected surge in the number of people expected to vote absentee.
“It could be a real challenge to just get to that place where election night has come and we’re the only state that’s not able to report results.”
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is pushing lawmakers to modernize election laws to allow those ballots to be processed and ready to count when the polls close.
