Clerks and poll workers share the changes they’ve seen in local elections
By Ross Boissoneau | Oct. 19, 2024
Commercials running non-stop. Postcards filling mailboxes, urging voters to elect this or that candidate. News reports on TV and social media chock-full of information, and too often, misinformation.
It used to be called the silly season, but as election time nears, what once may have been silly is more serious than ever. Attempts to overturn elections, harass and threaten election workers, even steal and break into election machines have made what was once an important but relatively routine job into one often filled with anxiety and mistrust.
A poll earlier this year done by the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law found that more than a third of local election officials—38 percent—reported threats, harassment, or abuse.
Northern Express spoke with several clerks and election workers about how their jobs have changed, what they expect come November, and why they remain committed to the process.
What’s Changed?
Sarah Bek, City Clerk for the City of Petoskey, was appointed to her post in September 2022 after working as deputy clerk since 2009. She says she has seen significant changes with the passing of Prop 22-2, which increased the use of absentee ballots and additional ways for citizens to vote, such as early voting. That has led to fewer voters walking in on Election Day.
The uptick in absentee ballots and early voting makes it easier for voters and results in fewer lines at your polling location. But for workers, it can add to the stress of counting all the votes after the polls close.
Empire Township Clerk Christine Neiswonger, who has served in her role since 1996, agrees that the increase in absentee voting has been the biggest change she’s seen in her tenure. “Since COVID—that really started it, and it hasn’t decreased,” she says. “We have 1,300 registered voters, and it [the number of absentee voters] is approaching 50 percent.”
Like others, Forest Home Township Clerk Sue Mahan has seen a dramatic increase in absentee voting. “I’m going on 500 absentees,” Mahan says. (The 2020 census put the Antrim county township at a population of 1,696.) “We could get a lot [returned] at the last minute. We’re a resort area and a lot of people go away.”
Mahan says changes in technology are also noticeable. “I’ve been doing this 25 years. The biggest change is elections used to be a piece of cake. Now there’s a lot more involved. It’s much more time-consuming.” She was one of the first to eliminate the old voting machines where you pulled a lever to close a curtain, then secured your vote by opening the curtain with the lever, opting instead for tabulators.
Despite all the changes, those in the midst of the fray say a commitment to democratic principles keeps them coming back.
“Working for the City of Petoskey offers a unique experience due to the size and location,” says Bek. “I’ve embraced the close community ties and have established professional and personal connections. I’m a supporter for providing resources and knowledge to the community and encourage citizens to reach out to their local clerk for accurate information.”
The 2020 Shift
In addition to changes in technology and absentee ballot usage, the 2020 election ushered in a new level of conspiracy theories. Nowhere around northern Michigan was there more focus on that and on subsequent harassments and threats than in Antrim County. The county made the national news after incorrectly reporting that Joe Biden had won the mostly-Republican county.
The incorrect unofficial results were quickly noticed and subsequently corrected, but they led to a wave of conspiracy theories. Then-President Trump cited the original results in pushing back on the fact he’d lost the election, at one point tweeting that there was a “68% error rate in Michigan voting machines.”
Such theories continue to resound despite the fact that any errors were corrected and all challenges, including suggestions that voting machines were deliberately changing results, were debunked by courts. Trump supporters continued to question the results and harass those connected with them, including Antrim County Clerk Sheryl Guy.
Guy has worked for the county since 1978, starting as switchboard operator then working 31 years under previous Clerk Laura Sexton before becoming clerk 12 years ago. She received numerous calls, even death threats, following the election.
Guy found herself concerned with her security, locking her doors at home and sometimes asking deputies or maintenance workers to escort her and her staff from the building. She vowed to finish out her term but declined to run for her position again this year—until Victoria Bishop won the Republican primary.
Her husband Randy Bishop, aka Trucker Randy, hosts a radio show and has been among those railing against the political establishment and offering a platform for election conspiracies. He sued Guy and numerous other county officials for $1 million, alleging the county’s election practices violated his constitutional right to equal protection under the law. The case was dismissed with prejudice by 13th Circuit Court Judge George J. Mertz.
After Bishop won the Republican nomination for the post, Guy decided to run on a write-in basis. “I didn’t want to run against somebody I might endorse,” she says of her decision.
After her experience in 2020, Guy left the Republican party and is running with no affiliation. “My conscience won’t let me walk away,” she says. “What’s four more years after 45 and a half?” The contest has even come to the attention of The Washington Post, which featured an article about the election last month.
Needless to say, Guy anticipates a challenging day. “It’s going to be holy hell.”
Election Worker Drop-off
Of course, it isn’t just the clerks who work on Election Day. Our local clerks hire, train, and pay workers (also called election inspectors) to assist in running local elections in compliance with Michigan laws.
In the last decade, clerks report it has become increasingly difficult to find enough people to work on Election Day, which can last from 6am until 9pm, 10pm, or later. The long days are draining, but the persecution and threats some have experienced personally—and all have seen reported—has made it more difficult to retain election workers.
Neiswonger says that’s the case in Empire. “I’m losing them right and left,” she says.
The clerks are unanimous in praising the efforts of those who work the elections. “I encourage citizens to apply and be trained as election inspectors to get a feel for the process and the checks and balances,” says Bek.
Tom Pope is one of those workers. “It’s my civic duty to participate in our democratic procedure,” says the Empire Township resident. He stresses the training poll workers go through every two years as an important part of the entire process.
Virtually all the respondents, from the county clerks to the township clerks to the poll workers, point to the series of checking and rechecking they go through as evidence the voting process is fair and accurate.
“That’s part of why I got involved, to see what it was all about, to learn what was going on,” says Pope. “There are a lot of checks and balances. It’s really hard for us to screw up as we’re all checking on one another.”
Fellow Empire Township poll worker Rodney Barnes echoes that. “All the checks and balances, the procedures and how closely they’re followed, there’s always a bi-partisan review—those are things the average voter might not see, may not be aware of,” he says.
Challenges and Opportunities
Valerie Handy, a 10-year poll veteran and Precinct 8 deputy chair in Grand Traverse County, notes the increased number of those who choose to observe the voting process as another trend she’s seen unfold locally. “The poll watchers and challengers are an important part of the process,” Handy says.
Connor Miller has been an election inspector since 2019 and serves as Precinct 8 chair in Grand Traverse County. He welcomes the presence of challengers as a chance to demonstrate the transparency and integrity of the voting and tabulating process.
“It’s an opportunity to show people how thorough the process is, the checks and balances,” he says.
Traverse City Clerk Benjamin Marentette adds it’s important to maintain a like number of Democrats and Republicans among the poll workers. For example, Miller is a Democrat, and Handy is a Republican.
Miller anticipates a large turnout for this election, though with the growing preponderance of absentee ballots and the early voting days, he isn’t sure what to expect on Election Day—other than a number of challengers. “I expect there will be challengers. I expect a lot of enthusiasm. Turnout might be high,” he predicts.
Last but not least, Handy emphasizes that it is important for challengers and voters alike to remember who is working these elections. “Elections are run by your neighbors,” she says.
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