Behind-the-Scenes Look at Ballot Counting in Wyoming Shows Rigorous Security and Bipartisan Safeguards

GRAND RAPIDS, MI: With more than 1.5 million Michiganders, nearly 21% of the state’s registered voters, already casting ballots, RightCount Michigan worked to organize an information tour about how local clerks and bipartisan election workers process, secure, and tabulate absentee ballots.

Joined by Kent County Clerk and RightCount Michigan State Chair Lisa Posthumus Lyons and Wyoming City Clerk Kelli VandenBerg, WOOD TV (Channel 8) walked Michigan voters through every step of the absentee process, spotlighting the strict physical chain of custody, voter privacy safeguards, and bipartisan oversight in place before ballots are tabulated.

Key Highlights from WOOD-TV’s Coverage

• Transparency Drives Trust: “I want people to understand why they can trust that our elections are secure and that we maintain the integrity,” said Kent County Clerk and RightCount State Chair Lisa Posthumus Lyons. “It’s really because they need to know how their process works.”

• Bipartisan Election Inspectors: Posthumus Lyons emphasized that Michigan elections are run locally by accountable community members: “They’re run by your friends, your family, your neighbors. And our election inspectors are required to have both Republicans and Democrats as equal as possible in each of our absentee counting boards. So, they’re the ones that are doing the work.”

• Guaranteed Ballot Secrecy: Addressing common questions about early voting security, Wyoming City Clerk Kelli VandenBerg explained how ballot secrecy is strictly preserved: “We are not concerned with how they cast their vote. In fact, we’re removing a numbered stub from their ballot before we ever open it up for processing.”

• Early Processing Ensures Timely, Secure Results: With over 7,000 of Wyoming’s 12,000 requested ballots already returned, election workers have begun opening, verifying, and pre-tabulating ballots under oath. VandenBerg noted that starting earlier prevents days-long reporting delays while ensuring zero premature leaks: no results are generated or reported until after polls close on Election Night.

Read the full story and watch the broadcast segment at WOOD-TV:

Behind-the-scenes look at ballot counting in Wyoming

About RightCount

RightCount is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to building confidence in American elections through education, transparent administration, and partnerships with trusted state and local election officials.