In a commentary for The Conversation, Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy director Stephanie Leiser promotes the latest findings of the Michigan Public Policy Survey,(MPPS) which show that "local officials across Michigan are highly confident in their ability to administer an accurate election this November," though she warns, "They also voiced concerns about rising disinformation and costs."
"We work very hard at our elections and resent all the negative comments about insecure or fraudulent elections," one local official said in the report, which details findings from a survey of local officials and clerks who administer elections in Michigan. The officials responding to the survey were granted confidentiality.
"Public confidence in elections and secure and accessible voting are the bedrock of a healthy democracy. Because U.S. elections are run by local governments, collecting data on local officials' on-the-ground experiences and perspectives is one of the most valuable ways researchers can gauge local governments' preparedness to run the upcoming election with integrity," she writes.
"We found that this year 95% of city and township clerks are "very confident" in their ability to administer an accurate election this November. This is a slight increase compared to surveys in 2020 and 2022. The high level of confidence holds across communities large and small, urban and rural, and deep red and deep blue," Leiser explained.
The MPPS consistently gets responses from local officials in over 70% of Michigan's 1,856 cities, villages, townships and counties, giving confidence that the results reflect the full range of communities, from small rural townships to large cities. In spring 2026, local officials were asked how they are feeling about administering the 2026 November general election. revisiting questions previously asked in 2017, 2020 and 2022.
The article can be found here.
The full MPPS report can be found here.
