Michigan election-night results are unofficial. They become official after election records and reported totals are canvassed and the appropriate county or state board certifies the results. Paper ballots and tabulation records support that review; recounts and audits are separate processes, not another name for the routine canvass.
What happens between election night and official results?
- Votes are recorded. Michigan uses paper ballots, and tabulation machines print vote counts. The Michigan Department of State explains: “Because Michigan uses all paper ballots, and tabulation machines print the vote counts, there is always a paper record that can be reviewed if a reporting error occurs.” Michigan election-security guidance.
- Unofficial returns are reported. Totals shared before canvassing are preliminary, not certified results. Errors can arise when workers record or transmit unofficial numbers incorrectly, which is one reason those early figures are subject to review.
- County boards canvass the returns. Bipartisan county boards compare physical tabulation records with reported results, check arithmetic and consistency among precinct and absent-voter-counting-board totals, and correct clerical discrepancies under their statutory duties.
- The appropriate board certifies. Certification follows the record review and establishes final totals and the winners or ballot-question outcomes for the contests within that board’s jurisdiction.
The Bureau of Elections county canvass manual, revision October 2025, says county boards generally begin canvassing by 9 a.m. on the Thursday after an election and complete certification within 14 calendar days. It describes an expedited schedule, with completion by the tenth day, when unofficial presidential returns show a margin under 25,000 votes. Consult the current manual and Michigan law for the schedule that applies to a particular election.
![Elections guide and manual of instructions for election officials on conduct of registrations and elections in Michigan. Issued by F. M. Alger, Jr. secretary of state 1952 [Leather Bound]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31gqE8kgIYL._SL160_.jpg)
Which Michigan boards review and certify results?
County boards
County canvassing boards review and certify results within their counties. Their work is described in the Bureau of Elections manual as ministerial and clerical: they follow statutory duties, checking that records and totals are mathematically consistent and that county totals accurately reflect precinct and absent-voter-counting-board returns. Certification is not a discretionary decision about which candidate should win.
Board of State Canvassers
The four-member Board of State Canvassers includes two members selected from each of the two political parties that received the most votes in the preceding Secretary of State election. It canvasses statewide elections, legislative districts that cross county lines, and specified judicial offices; it also conducts state-level recounts. Michigan Board of State Canvassers.
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In the 2024 General Election, all 83 county canvassing boards certified their jurisdictions before the state board voted unanimously to certify on November 22, 2024. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said, “Our state and county canvassing boards have all fulfilled their lawful duty to certify the results of Michigan’s 2024 General Election,” in the state’s November 22, 2024 certification announcement. That is an example from that election, not a forecast of future certification dates.
What does certification establish?
Certification declares the final vote totals and the winners or ballot-question outcomes after canvassing. It is the formal result of reviewing election returns and records under the board’s statutory responsibilities. It is not, by itself, an independent investigation of general allegations unrelated to those returns.
How do canvassing, recounts, and audits differ?
| Process | Purpose | What it examines | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canvass | Routine review and reconciliation before certification | Returns, tabulation records, arithmetic, and consistency among precinct and county totals | Certified totals and contest outcomes within the board’s jurisdiction |
| Recount | Retabulate a specified contest when legal conditions or eligible petitions call for it | Ballots and records for the contest under the applicable recount procedure | Recount totals for that contest |
| Audit | Review election procedures or test tabulation accuracy | Procedures, or ballots selected for a particular audit method | Findings about process or tabulation accuracy; an audit does not itself certify the result |
These mechanisms have different triggers and scope. Michigan guidance describes an automatic recount when the margin in specified statewide contests or ballot proposals is 2,000 votes or less. It also describes petition-based recounts for eligible candidates and, for ballot questions, eligible electors who voted and believe the canvass is wrong because of fraud or error in precinct returns. Eligibility, petition scope, deadlines, and deposits depend on current law and official instructions; the threshold is not a universal right to demand a statewide recount. See the Michigan election-security guidance on recounts and audits.
Michigan identifies procedural audits, risk-limiting ballot audits, and absentee-counting-board audits. A risk-limiting audit hand-tallies a random sample of ballots to check tabulation accuracy; it does not recount every ballot.
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What did Michigan’s post-election reviews find in 2024?
The Michigan Bureau of Elections’ October 13, 2025 release described three statewide review tracks following the 2024 General Election:
- A state-led recount of the Michigan House 44th District race confirmed the original winner. The vote differential changed from 61 votes to 79 votes in that specific recount, according to the Bureau of Elections recount release.
- A statistical statewide ballot audit included 166 randomly selected city and township precincts.
- Procedural audits included a presidential hand count in 378 randomly selected precincts.
The audit release said machines accurately counted more than 5.7 million ballots in the 2024 election. These are retrospective figures for that election and those review tracks, not results or projections for another election. The state’s October 13, 2025 audit announcement includes the review details. In that announcement, Benson said, “Careful, detailed, and thorough post-election audits are critical to election security and accuracy.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where can you check Michigan’s official results?
Use the Michigan Department of State’s election results and data page for statewide results, reports, statistics, historical data, and precinct-level records. The state directs readers to county sources for local election data. Check the portal for the election and contest you need, and distinguish certified totals from unofficial election-night reporting.
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