Local Leaders and Officials Work to Build Trust Ahead of November Election

The World Justice Project’s new report, “U.S. Rule of Law Trends and the 2024 Election” contains some sobering findings about Americans’ trust in the electoral system.

A significant number of people believe the electoral process is marred by fraud and corruption and do not trust election officials.  But history shows that these questions are unfounded.  What can be done to change these perceptions as millions of voters cast their ballots this November?

During a briefing on findings from the organization’s new report, WJP hosted a discussion with local leaders and officials from three swing states – Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – to discuss what they are doing to build trust in elections locally. 

“Elections are the bedrock of our republic and it’s reliant on the public trust in that process,” Kent County Clerk Lisa Posthumus Lyons said.

As county clerk, Lyons, is responsible for administering elections in Kent County, Michigan.  She has heard from residents concerned about the potential for fraud and other issues. 

“I’ve made it my mission to be not just an administrator, but to now be an ambassador of elections,” Lyons said.  “Transparency is really important, so I hammer home on all of these little processes—from testing election equipment before elections, and poll challengers and election workers, election day itself, and the post-election process with the canvas and certification and our audit process. Those are all open to the public.”

Meanwhile a non-partisan organization called Keep Our Republic is working to educate voters in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan about how elections are conducted by holding community meetings with local officials.  Representatives from the organization are hearing similar things from voters that Lyons is hearing in Michigan.

“We try to identify what is it that makes you distrust the process, and we find certain issues that keep coming up,” John Vaudreuil, a former U.S. attorney who is on the advisory council for Keep Our Republic in Wisconsin, told the panel.

He said some of the more common things he hears are concerns about the hacking of voting machines. “We point out every vote is paper in Wisconsin.  Yes, we have counting machines, but there’s no connection to the internet.” Vaudreuil also added that testing of election equipment is open to the public in Wisconsin. 

Retired federal district court judge Robert Cindrich, who volunteers with Keep Our Republic in western Pennsylvania, offered some advice to the media covering the upcoming election. 

“Visit the polls, understand the process, see the machines,” Cindrich said.  “Second, write about it, tell people what you saw.  The media is crucial to this.”

The discussion ended with this reminder from Lyons, “remember that elections in America are truly a celebration.”