On Tuesday, October 4, 2022, the Kent County Clerk Office conducted a Post-Election Procedural Audit of the 2022 Primary Election results in Gaines Charter Township Precinct 8. The audit was ordered by Kent County Clerk Lisa Posthumus Lyons due to charges being filed against an election worker for allegedly tampering with an Electronic Poll Book computer used in the Primary Election. Click here to review the Clerk’s statement regarding the illegal election activity in the August 2022 Primary Election.
An Electronic Poll Book is the computer that election workers use to administer the election at their precinct and contains confidential voter registration data. It is not connected to voting equipment or the internet.
Upon conclusion of the audit – which examined details of the preparation for and administration of the August Primary, as well as a hand-tally of all absentee and Election Day in-precinct ballots – it was confirmed that the incident did not affect the outcome of the election.
“Conducting this audit was critical to reaffirm the results in Gaines Township, Precinct 8 and to rebuild public trust that was jeopardized as a result of this egregious violation," Lyons said.
The Audit Report for Gaines Precinct 8 is available online at KentCountyVotes.com under the Upcoming Elections, August 2, 2022 header.
Post-Election Audits are a routine function of the County Clerk’s Office and conducted in 10 randomly selected precincts following the election. The Oct. 4 audit in Gaines Township was not one of the random precincts selected but was ordered as an added measure. Kent County audits are open to the media and public to attend and observe. The Post-Election Audit Manual can be found here.
Clerk Lyons and the Kent County Election’s Team thanked Gaines Township Clerk Michael Brew and his staff for their full cooperation in the investigation and audit process.
Original source can be found here.
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