DETROIT (WWJ) - As Detroit's primary elections quickly approaches, officials for the city said they are making their final preparations for Tuesday, as well as giving out a warning.
As reported by WWJ's Ryan Marshall, Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey spoke at Detroit's Huntington Place where she said all votes, whether cast in person or by absentee ballot, will be counted accurately while those who disrupt the process will "be dealt with."
Winfrey said they will be working with 20 Detroit police officers and poll workers, challengers, observers and media will all be required to go through metal detectors.
"I know you guys probably know I was threatened and half my staff here was threatened for doing our jobs," Winfrey told reporters of the 2020 presidential elections. "At the end of the day, that's the reason why we've beefed up security and as a results, I think people know not to try the shenanigans that they tried in 2020 or they will be dealt with."
The extra measures will allow workers to focus on doing their jobs, Winfrey added.
Authorities said they believe roughly 12 to 17% of registered voters will show up and physically cast a vote, and while the number may seem low, they are expecting to count over 40,000 absentee ballots.
Election officials demonstrated the ballot counting and certification process, which Marshall reported workers will use to verify and certify ballots.
The process can be seen in the following video:
Officials said counting the ballot will take time, but vowed it will be done correctly.
Chief Operating Officer of Elections Daniel Baxter said being able to count the absentee votes sooner would make the process easier.
Baxter suggested being able to count seven to ten days before the election would be ideal.
"Sometimes we feel like we've been given the responsibility to build bricks without straw," he said. "In the last presidential election, while we had one day of pre-processing 174,000 ballots, it wasn't enough."
Either way, Baxter and Winfrey said they will be ready for Tuesday's election primaries.
