HILLSDALE, Michigan – Former Congressman Mike Bishop and former Lt. Gov. John Cherry, members of the bipartisan Democracy Defense Foundation, showcased how Hillsdale County’s local elections teams keep voting safe, secure and accurate during a tour today with Hillsdale County Clerk Abe Dane.
“Michigan voters should know that our elections are in good hands thanks to the great work that our local elections officials, workers and volunteers will do during our upcoming August primary and November general elections,” Cherry said. “An overwhelming majority of Michiganders trust their local elections because they see that their ballots are being safely and securely handled by neighbors, friends, family members and people in the community. The public is welcome to see for themselves that local elections workers are well-trained, follow the law, and demonstrate a commitment to fair, accurate and transparent elections.”
“In communities across Michigan, including here in Hillsdale, elections workers and officials show a great deal of professionalism as they follow and uphold the law, so every ballot is accurately and fairly counted,” Bishop said. “Voters can be confident that Michigan’s decentralized elections system ensures that their ballots are handled, processed and tabulated locally. Strong safeguards in Michigan’s election laws help protect our elections and keep them secure.”
Michigan’s 1,000-plus county clerks, city clerks, and township clerks administer voting for federal, state, countywide and local races. As Michigan’s chief elections officer, the secretary of state supervises local officials in performing duties related to the election, ensuring they fulfill their election responsibilities in accordance with state law. Secretaries of state do not administer elections, nor do they program, test or oversee voting machines.
Robust safeguards ensure Michigan elections are secure, transparent and accurate. They include ensuring no voting machines are connected to the internet, so they cannot be accessed or hacked online, and requiring all absentee ballot drop boxes to be monitored by video.
To protect the chain of custody, only authorized clerk personnel may collect ballots, and they must closely track and transfer ballots. In close results, local clerks ensure ballots are both machine-counted and then hand-counted to verify accuracy. Local clerks must update their voter rolls and remove all inactive or incorrect registrations on a regular basis. The number of ballots issued must match the number of ballots cast, by mail and in person.
A 2025 DDP poll showed that 88% of voters said that they trust their local elections, a jump from the 78% who expressed the same sentiment in a DDP poll the previous year. More than 78% of voters are confident that this year’s elections will be fair and accurate.
Hillsdale City Clerk Katy Price, right, shows election security safeguards in place to make sure every ballot is counted accurately during a tour by former Republican Congressman Mike Bishop, left, and former Democratic Lt. Gov. John Cherry of election locations in Hillsdale County. Hillsdale County Clerk Abe Dane hosted the two board members of the bipartisan Democracy Defense Foundation on Wednesday.
Hillsdale County Clerk Abe Dane, second from right, and elections workers discuss election safeguards to Democracy Defense Foundation board members, former Lt. Gov. John Cherry, middle, and former Congressman Mike Bishop, right. Michigan’s highly decentralized elections system and a range of security measures ensure ballots are accurately and securely counted.
Hillsdale County elections professionals share some of the safety and security measures in place to make sure every ballot is accurately counted during a tour Wednesday by former Republican Congressman Mike Bishop, right, and former Democratic Lt. Gov. John Cherry, second from right. Bishop and Cherry are board members of the bipartisan Democracy Defense Foundation, together with former Govs. Jim Blanchard, a Democrat, and John Engler, a Republican. Hillsdale County Clerk Abe Dane hosted the DDF’s tour on Wednesday.
###
Published: Jul 29, 2026
