LANSING, Mich. — As chief election officer, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson today announced she has taken steps to ensure the accuracy of Michigan’s voter file by formally requesting membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC).
“In November, Michigan voters made it clear: Like me, they believe it should be easier to vote and harder to cheat,” Benson said today. “We’re taking the first step toward achieving that goal by ensuring the accuracy of our voter registration file.”
Benson said once Michigan is a member of ERIC – a self-governing, multistate partnership dedicated to the accuracy of the nation’s voter files – the state will have unprecedented insight into the integrity of its voter rolls thanks to the collaboration of participating states, key federal databases and the use of sophisticated and secure data-matching technology.
“In terms of election security, this is an important first step,” she said.
Established in 2012, ERIC uses encrypted voter information from partnering states along with death records from the Social Security Administration to red flag deceased voters, duplicate voter registrations, voters who move and eligible voters not yet registered so states can reach out to them. ERIC also provides resources previously unavailable to the state of Michigan for maintaining the accuracy of its voter list, including the availability of encrypted driver information from other states and data from the National Change of Address database maintained by the U.S. Postal Service.
States already participating in ERIC are Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Also participating is the District of Columbia.
Benson, who has a long track record of supporting Michigan’s membership in ERIC, reiterated her support in June. The partnership’s effectiveness is well documented. Between 2013 and 2017, ERIC identified nearly 10 million out-of-date voter records for its members. Currently, Michigan has no system in place to verify the accuracy of its voter file against those of other states.
