The Michigan Secretary of State’s Bureau of Elections has partnered with the Bipartisan Policy Center to solicit municipal clerk participation in a Line Data Collection Program on election day this year.

A similar study was conducted during the 2016 election with participation by communities in 55 counties across the state.

One sheet of paper for each precinct is all that is necessary. An election inspector writes the number of voters in line when the polls open and then the number in line at the top of each hour.

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/sos/Line_Study_Survey_535174_7.pdf

The Bureau of Elections will distribute the form, collect completed forms, send them to Bipartisan Policy Center and MIT and finally return the results to the local communities.

BPC/MIT will analyze the data and return a spreadsheet and graph for each precinct to the Bureau of Elections and they will send the material to you.

Election officials have used the results to make the case for additional precincts and resources and to deflect unfounded charges that lines exist when they don’t.

If interested, please contact the Bureau of Elections to participate at [email protected].

Chris Hackbarth is the League’s director of state & federal affairs. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 and [email protected].