New polling from the Democracy Defense Project found a vast majority of voters would have confidence in election results if a dozen practices went into use.

That list included steps like securing paper ballot storage, double checking close elections with hand counts, and cleaning up voter rolls.

The problem is each of those measures is already in place.

Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, a Democrat, said most people didn’t think about how elections are run until misinformation and conspiracy theories began to spread.

“Once the questioning of the election, the integrity of our elections has already begun, we are trying to make up for the loss of faith and we have to rebuild the trust now. The clerks didn’t do anything to lose the faith but now we have to rebuild trust,” Byrum said during a press conference Thursday.

Byrum said it’s important for candidates to watch what they say and avoid creating further distrust in election results.

In the Democracy Defense Project poll, over 75% of people said they felt initial confidence in the election process, though there were stark differences between Republicans and Democrats.

That number broke down to a little over 60% confidence from supporters of former President Donald Trump and over 90% of supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump supporters also saw concerns like people who weren’t eligible to vote casting a ballot as a higher threat than Harris supporters did.

There are very few reported cases of voter fraud.

Byrum asked people with concerns to get involved.

“If you question, please, large jurisdictions are always looking for Republican precinct workers. So please contact your local city or township clerk. And it’s not a volunteer job, you actually do get paid, not well, but you do get paid,” Byrum said.

Overall, members of the Michigan team for the Democracy Defense Project say they view the poll as demonstrating a path forward and away from election denialism.

Education and outreach were listed as ways to rebuild the trust with the general public, who may not be in tune with how elections are run.

Former Republican Governor John Engler is on the board for the Democracy Defense Project. He said news outlets need to also do more to explain that U.S. elections are secure.

“And all of the media is no match for the internet. You’re being killed by social media. The conspiracy theorists on the internet dwarf whatever, and, I would say, minor, efforts have been made by traditional media,” Engler said.

Election integrity has the spotlight as the presidential election takes center stage in these last five weeks of the campaign. MichMash host Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben sit down with former Gov. John Engler and former Lt. Gov. John Cherry to discuss the launch of the Democracy Defense Project in Michigan and how they aim to rebuild confidence in our nation’s electoral process. 

Subscribe to MichMash on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode:

• First Michigan House voting session since the end of June
• The Democracy Defense Project plan to combat election misinformation
• Election integrity and the need to bolster voter confidence

Engler and Cherry have joined a broader effort to combat misinformation and attacks related to election security and ballot-counting in swing states ahead of November’s general election.

If the 2024 election is like the 2020 election, the results most likely won’t be delivered the night of Election Day. Cherry says part of the goal of the new Democracy Defense Project branch is to calm Michigan voters who may be upset about that and to encourage their trust in the process.

“In Michigan, the counting is straight forward. We’re a reactive organization. So I mean, part of our job is to look at what kind of comments are being put in front of Michigan citizens and, and say, ‘Hey, look, that’s just not accurate,’ or, you know, it doesn’t deserve that kind of response,” he said. “You know, it’s not just a matter of being critical or being disappointed.”

In regard to building confidence in the electoral contest all together, Engler said the best solution is to communicate with the public.

“We’re talking to folks like you. You’ve got audiences that are out there. And when you’re hearing from us through your — more importantly, your listeners are hearing from us. I mean, we’re people who’ve been through collectively, a lot of elections.” said Engler.

He said that communication from trusted folks with credible histories can combat against the misinformation we are seeing on social media.  

More from WDET:

• Shortage of local clerk candidates in Michigan raising concerns about election integrity
• May 12, 2022: Trump supporters holding “election integrity” summit
• Democratic org announces $500K investment in Michigan House races

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• Legislature moves $125M more to school mental health, safety; makes retirement changes permanent