Election Audit Finds Scant Difference Between Machine, Hand Counts

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 10/13/2025) The difference between tabulator-counted election results and a hand recount during a Bureau of Elections (BOE) audit was .03 percent, a "slight discrepancy," according to the BOE, which reflects industry standards.

The Secretary of State hand recounted 378 precincts across the state that were randomly selected by a computer. The audit found a difference of 33 votes between the machine and hand counts out of 119,567 ballots, reads the report.

In the hand recount of the presidential race, former Vice President Kamala Harris gained 11 votes and President Donald Trump gained 10 votes, while Green Party option Jill Stein lost six votes and independent candidate Cornel West lost two votes.

Overall, the audit "found Michigan's election system was effective, secure and accurately tabulated the results of the 2024 General Election," read the press release from Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. "The audit also shows that clerks performed their duties and voting machines accurately counted more than 5.7 million ballots cast by Michiganders."

Other notes from the election audit include:

 - For the third consecutive election, the state broke voter turnout records with 74.6 percent of the more than 7.3 million registered voters casting a ballot.

 - The growth of early and no-reason absentee ballot voting is notable. Overall, 39 percent, or more than 2.23 million, voted absentee and 21 percent, or more than 1.21 million, voted early. Combined, that's 40 percent of voters who cast their ballot on Election Day.

 - The report recommended the Legislature pass a law to equally space out the election calendar to give county canvassers more time to conduct the canvass and any audits of the August election before the November election.

"Canvassers have less than two weeks to review pollbooks, tabulator tapes, other election documentation and to attempt to balance all out-of-balance precincts in the county," the report stated.