West Michigan television stations accidentally posted mock election results
Some West Michigan television stations accidentally published online test election results over the weekend not based on real data to prepare its own system for sharing outcomes for the upcoming primary.
"In advance of Michigan’s Tuesday, Aug. 2 primary election, News Channel 3 was conducting a test of its election systems last week," reads a post on the Kalamazoo-based television station's website explaining the error.
"In doing so, the station inadvertently published mock results on WWMT.com. The numbers used were randomly generated and did not reflect actual results."
A tweet from the Michigan Department of State posted earlier in the day clarified that "no votes have been counted in the election."
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"News media often test their webpages with sample data ahead of elections to ensure they will function properly on election night," the department said.
The same issue was observed on WOOD TV-8's website Monday.
"Over the weekend, someone accessed the WOODTV.com election results page — which was possible via an internet search or by following a link to the page in an article about a previous election," WOOD TV-8 News Director Stanton Tang said in a statement on the station's website.
The election results pages have since been made inaccessible to the public, but screenshots have been circulated on social media of the test data.
In a statement posted on WWMT.com, News Channel 3 News Director Matt Johnson called the mistake "regrettable" and said that the station remains "committed to accuracy, transparency, and fairness" in its reporting.
"News Channel 3 takes its civic duty to inform the public seriously and apologizes for the confusion our error has caused," Johnson said.
"In no way does a standard data test either affect or predict the results of any election. Test data does not represent any editorial slant or desire to affect the outcome of the election," Tang said on behalf of WOOD TV-8.
Social media posts have suggested that the error was intentional and designed to influence voters. There is no evidence to support those allegations.
Kent and Ottawa county clerks said their offices received calls and messages about results data posted online by local media.
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"We want to be very clear that results posted on these sites were not provided by official election administrators, nor were our offices involved in any way," said Kent County Clerk Lisa Posthumus Lyons and Ottawa County Clerk Justin Roebuck in a joint statement.
"Misinformation from any source, whether intentional or unintentional can damage public confidence in our elections," they said.
Voters will head to the polls next Tuesday to weigh in on gubernatorial, congressional and state legislative primaries. Hundreds of thousands of voters have already returned their absentee ballots, according to the Secretary of State's office.
Under Michigan law, election officials cannot begin counting those votes until Election Day.
Polling locations across Michigan will open at 7 a.m. Aug. 2 and close at 8 p.m. Voters in line by then can cast a ballot in the primary election.
Voters who request and fill out an absentee ballot must also return it before 8 p.m. on Election Day. The Secretary of State's office has urged those voting absentee to return ballots via drop boxes or in-person at their local clerk's office to avoid potential mail delays.
Voters can find ballot drop boxes and look up their local clerk's location at the Michigan Voter Information Center at mvic.sos.state.mi.us.
After the election, bipartisan canvassing boards review election results and correct any errors before certifying the results.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Local TV stations accidentally post mock election results with test data
