Alleged poll book tampering had no effect on August primary, Kent County audit finds
Kent County election officials say the alleged tampering of an electronic poll book following polls closing in the Aug. 2, primary election had no effect on the precinct's election results, following an audit conducted earlier this month.
Local law enforcement charged a poll worker who was allegedly seen inserting a USB drive into a poll book.
Poll books are not connected to vote tabulators and contain voter registration data. This data includes personal and confidential information that election workers — also referred to as election inspectors in Michigan — use to oversee elections at their precincts.
In a statement, Kent County Clerk Lisa Posthumus Lyons said the audit, conducted Oct. 4, reviewed the preparation and administration of the election at the Gaines Township 8th Precinct. The audit also included a hand tally of all ballots, absentee and in-person, submitted for the primary election at the precinct.
The audit reaffirmed the election results, per the clerk's office.
“Conducting this audit was critical to reaffirm the results in Gaines Township, Precinct 8 and to rebuild public trust that was jeopardized as a result of this egregious violation," Posthumus Lyons said in a statement.
Postelection audits are routinely performed by election officials throughout Michigan, although the audit of the affected Gaines Township precinct was specifically in the aftermath of the alleged tampering attempt.
The individual charged in the case, James Holkeboer, faces charges of falsifying records under election law, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $1,000 fine, and using a computer to commit a crime, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine. A probable cause conference has been scheduled for Oct. 31 in Kent County's 63rd District Court.
Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @arpanlobo.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kent County audit finds no effect from election tampering attempt
