If you thought the wait was long for the results in last week’s elections in Berrien County, there was a reason.
The Berrien County Clerk’s office tells us its staff was working until later than usual for an August primary because of changes at the state level.
Elections Clerk Victoria Graham says local clerks from all across the county had to physically go to the clerk’s office in St. Joseph to turn over their memory cards with results so the county clerk could tabulate them. Previously, they could electronically transfer that information.
Graham says it’s because an agreement between the state and Election Source, an elections equipment company, ended. She believes the situation will affect all clerk’s offices in the state by 2025, telling us this may mean election results take longer to get.
The Berrien County Clerk’s office is working on better procedures for the next election, which will be in November. Graham says she can understand why the state would want to take another technical step out of the process, and she just has to follow its rules.
St. Joseph City Clerk Abby Bishop told city commissioners this week it was a late night for her last Tuesday because when she got to the county clerk’s office, she was behind several others in the line waiting as Graham uploaded their results.
