Clerks invite citizens to get involved in elections

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — County clerks are inviting community members to get involved in the election process and see what's going on firsthand.

"I firmly believe that trusting the process requires understanding how it works, and the way to do that is by education, transparency and participation," Kent County Clerk Lisa Posthumus Lyons said.

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PRE-ELECTION TESTING

"One of the great things about the system is that everything is accessible to the public to watch and see," Ottawa County Clerk Justin Roebuck said.

Roebuck explained that every tabulator that will be used in an election must undergo "a pretty rigorous test" beforehand, known as a logic and accuracy test.

"We're inserting a number of ballots into the tabulator to ensure that it counts what it's supposed to count, that it doesn't count what it's not supposed to. So if a voter makes a mistake or overvotes, we want to give the voter that option to correct their ballot," he said. "...The public can see and observe that whole process."

What safeguards are in place for absentee ballots? Clerks explain

After the testing is done, a memory device is sealed into the tabulator and the seal number is recorded in different places, according to Roebuck. Later, inspectors can make sure the tabulator hasn't been meddled with by checking that the seal number matches what was recorded.

"(In) Ottawa County, the county owns the equipment and so they are responsible and required to do the equipment testing," Posthumus Lyons said. "But here in Kent County, it's our local units of government that put those tests on."

If you'd like to observe testing in Kent County, you can find the schedule at kentcountyvotes.com , though many municipalities have already finished their testing.

Schedule: Kent County's public testing ahead of the Nov. 5 election

Testing throughout Ottawa County has already concluded ahead of the Nov. 5 election, according to an online schedule .

If you're not sure about the election process, you're encouraged to get involved.

"Come and work an election," Posthumus Lyons said. "Nothing can make you trust the process more than going through the training, the rigorous training that our election inspectors ... go through and to see it and do it on the ground."

What to know about absentee, early voting ahead of Nov. 5 election

The clerks say people from both parties are needed.

"We're required to have a bipartisan team together at every place, every major decision where an election decision is happening," Roebuck said. "It's bipartisan. It's open to the public. It's transparent. It's run by professionals who undergo training. And it is your neighbors doing this. We encourage people to sign up and become one of those neighbors helping the process out, but we're all in it together."

If you're interested in becoming an election inspector in Kent County, . For Ottawa County, .