LANSING, Mich. – Michigan’s bipartisan Democracy Defense Project (DDP) board members today said the constitutional authority to run elections must remain in the hands of the states and that elections in Michigan are secure and transparent because of our localized system that includes thousands of county, city and township clerks transparently running our elections.
According to a news article published on Monday, “President Trump called in a new interview for the Republican Party to ‘nationalize’ voting in the United States.”
The DDP’s four Michigan board members – former Govs. Jim Blanchard, a Democrat; John Engler, a Republican; former Lt. Gov. John Cherry, a Democrat; and former U.S. Congressman Mike Bishop, a Republican – released the following statement:
“The bipartisan Democracy Defense Board strongly opposes a federal government takeover of Michigan’s locally run elections and we urge all Americans to uphold the U.S. Constitution by respecting the balance of power that it carefully establishes. The U.S. Constitution grants states the authority to administer local elections and Michigan has been a model of fair, accurate and efficient elections for decades.
“The U.S. Constitution entrusts states and local communities, not Washington, with running elections in a manner consistent with their laws and accountability structures. Preserving state authority over elections upholds an important constitutional principle that safeguards federalism, prevents the concentration of power and protects the integrity of our democratic process, and should not be a partisan issue.
“In addition to robust security safeguards, Michigan’s elections are noted for having one of the most decentralized structures in the nation, with more than 1,500 city and township clerks – not the Michigan Secretary of State – administering elections in their communities and 83 elected county clerks providing support and oversight. All election workers conduct elections under the watchful eye of thousands of citizen observers statewide, from both parties, who receive rigorous training that empowers them to ensure the conduct of our elections is fair, accurate and transparent.”
Background
Michigan and the other 49 U.S. states manage, administer, process and audit elections in their state, an authority protected by the U.S. Constitution under Article 1, Section 4, which delegates election administration to state governments.
Additionally, under the Tenth Amendment, powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved to the states and the people, with the administration of elections being one of those reserved powers.
Altogether, Michigan’s 1,000-plus county clerks, city clerks, and township clerks administer voting for federal, state, countywide and local races. As Michigan’s chief elections officer, the secretary of state supervises local officials in performing duties related to the election, ensuring they fulfill their election responsibilities in accordance with state law. Secretaries of state do not administer elections, nor do they program, test or oversee voting machines. Republican and Democratic candidates have run for statewide office in Michigan in the past without any calls for federal involvement.
Local officials run Michigan’s elections and they are the ones Michiganders trust most, according to DDP polling.
- A DDP poll in June 2025 showed that 76% of Michigan voters say the November 2024 election was fair and accurate.
- Additionally, 88% of voters said they trust their local elections, a jump from the 78% who expressed the same sentiment in an October 2024 DDP poll.
- The summer poll also showed that more than 78% of voters are confident in the fairness and accuracy of the 2026 elections, with high confidence among Republicans, Democrats and Independents.
