Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum statement on presidential election

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum issued a statement regarding the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.

As Ingham County’s Chief Elections Official, I have the honor and responsibility of presiding over the administration of elections in my County. In my three terms as Ingham County Clerk, I have administered 39 elections.

The November 5, 2024 Election was conducted freely, fairly, and the unofficial results were reported in a timely fashion. In Ingham County, 21 local clerks oversaw the first General Election implementation of Early Voting, processed nearly 70,000 absentee ballots, and had the highest turnout that Ingham County has ever experienced.

As we speak, the bipartisan County Board of Canvassers, made up of two Republicans and two Democrats, is reviewing the election to ensure that for every ballot cast there was a voter, and vice versa. This is a critical checkpoint to ensure that ballots were not missed and that counts are accurate.

Over the last week, those who are unhappy that their candidate lost, both Democrats and Republicans, have been expressing their disappointment by questioning the validity of the process of our election. This is not the first time this has happened, as those unhappy with the 2020 election did so as well.

I have a long track record of standing up for our elections against those who have questioned it, these last few years, and it is just as important to stand up and defend our elections, now. I have, on multiple occasions, called on Republican leaders to tell their supporters that our process is safe and secure, and I would be a hypocrite if I did not come out and do so myself, this time around.

So to those who are disappointed that Vice President Harris lost, last week, I say that there are many reasons why that happened that will no doubt be discussed in campaign strategy sessions for years to come, but it was not the result of a failure of our elections process. Our Democracy worked last Tuesday, as it has for centuries, and we must respect the will of the voters who placed their faith in it by casting their ballots

Barb Byrum, Ingham County Clerk

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