08/28/2026
I was proud to help author the op-ed below in the Lansing State Journal as a member of RightCount's Michigan Leadership Advisory Council.
Across Michigan, we are building a network of trusted local leaders who can speak clearly about the ways our elections are secure, share accurate information with citizens about how the process works, and help identify opportunities for continuous improvement with every election cycle.
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/opinion/contributors/2026/08/26/secure-transparent-professional-why-michiganders-can-trust-elections/91441548007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z115601p001150l004350c001150e008700v115601d--37--b--37--&gca-ft=242&gca-ds=sophi
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Secure, Transparent, and Professional: Why Michiganders Can Trust Our Elections
Lansing State Journal
August 26, 2026
Earlier this month, more than two million citizens across 83 counties made their voices heard in the August primary election. From precincts in Ottawa and Kent counties to the voting booths in Clinton Township and Onekama Township, thousands of dedicated election workers, clerks, and volunteers worked tirelessly to ensure that a highly competitive primary election was run smoothly, professionally, and accurately.
As we turn our attention toward the upcoming midterms, the stakes could not be higher. Michigan stands at the absolute center of the political landscape. The choices voters make this fall will not only determine the governance and direction of our state for the next several years but will also carry the potential to decide control of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
When national attention is focused on Michigan, scrutiny naturally follows. That is why it is essential that every voter, regardless of political party, has complete confidence that our elections are secure, transparent, fair, and accurate.
According to a national survey by Ipsos, 75 percent of registered voters said the 2024 election was legitimate and accurate, compared to 58 percent after the 2020 election. Republican confidence surged from 26 percent in 2020 to 91 percent in 2024, a 65-point increase. However, nearly 40 percent of Democrats, whose candidate lost the 2024 presidential race, aren’t willing to say the same.
These results emphasize a damaging pattern: voters are more likely to trust elections only when their preferred candidate wins. Misinformation can fuel suspicion and undermine confidence in elections. Education, transparency, and participation are the keys to building public trust.
To meet this vital moment, we are proud to announce the formation of RightCount’s Leadership Advisory Council in Michigan. As a coalition of county and township clerks, legal advisors, policy leaders, and former state officials, our council has come together with a single, clear purpose: to build faith in our electoral process, defend the rule of law, and support the public officials sworn to ensure legal and accurate vote counts.
Michiganders take great pride in participating in democracy, and it’s essential that every eligible voter has confidence that their voice is heard and their vote is counted. Across our state, bipartisan election officials work diligently to uphold election integrity and ensure voters can trust the outcome. Localized administration is rooted in the U.S. Constitution’s principle of federalism, which intentionally grants states authority over elections to ensure decisions are made close to home.
RightCount was organized specifically to restore faith in the electoral process by elevating trusted local leaders, countering misinformation, standing vigilant against any efforts at fraud, and providing transparent facts about how our election process works. Survey research conducted by RightCount into the messengers and reforms most effective in building confidence among voters in Michigan confirmed a clear truth: voters want facts, strong safeguards, and total operational transparency.
Our research also revealed that voter confidence in Michigan increases significantly when citizens learn more about our state’s rigorous, multi-layered security protocols, such as pre-election testing of voting equipment, mandatory paper ballot trails, bipartisan canvassing boards, and post-election audits. Furthermore, voters express high levels of trust in their local municipal and county clerks, who live, work, and serve directly within their communities.
In the coming months, we will work together to actively recruit and mobilize local leaders across Michigan. Our efforts will focus on educating the public about our state’s election safeguards, answering voters' questions directly, and encouraging citizens to get involved as workers, poll challengers, or simply observers of the process.
Michigan’s election system belongs to the people of Michigan. As we march toward November, our coalition is committed to ensuring that the rule of law is followed, every legal vote is counted, and voters can be assured that the results are accurate.
Lisa Posthumus Lyons, Kent County Clerk and RightCount State Chair of Michigan
Eric Doster, former General Counsel, Michigan Republican Party
Tony Daunt, former Member of the State Board of Canvassers
Eileen McNeil, President of Citizens for Traditional Values
Justin Roebuck, Ottawa County Clerk
Kim Meltzer, Clinton Township Clerk
According to an Ipsos survey, 75% of registered voters said the 2024 election was legitimate and accurate, compared to 58% after the 2020 election.
