Know your election officials Know your election officials By Secretary of State Candice S. Miller Making sense of Michigan s election system can be a daunting prospect, but it isn t difficult once you have a basic understanding of the people who make it work. The secretary of state serves as Michigan s chief election officer, with the Bureau of Elections acting on the secretary s behalf. The bureau is responsible for the integrity of an election by ensuring election laws are followed, training and advising 2,300 local clerks, compiling official election results and providing instructional materials. Next are the county election officials.
Counties support the election process in a number of ways.
Each county has a County Elections Commission, with a chief judge of probate of the county or probate court district, the county clerk and county treasurer. The commission provides election supplies, including ballots for federal, state and county elections. Counties receive and certify petitions for countywide offices and ballot proposals. The county also accepts campaign finance reports from local candidates and trains precinct inspectors. The conduct of local elections and operation of polling place is handled at the city, township or school district level, depending on the nature of the election.