Routine test of Detroit voting equipment draws a dozen onlookers, RNC member

Louis Aguilar and Craig Mauger, The Detroit News on Jul 20, 2026

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DETROIT — A routine test of Detroit's voting equipment on Monday before the Aug. 4 primary drew a crowd of local elected officials, business executives and a member of the Republican National Committee, reflecting the tensions over the upcoming election as President Donald Trump attacks the city's voting process.

The city's Department of Elections held its standard "public accuracy test" as required by Michigan election law. Election workers ran ballots through the multiple Dominion voting machines as others watched.

"It's simply a procedure where we verify the authenticity of the programming and the systems that will be used on election day to tabulate absentee ballots and for early voting," said Daniel Baxter, the city's director of elections.

What was different this year was that the number of observers who watched. Roughly a dozen observers hovered over the city election workers as they tested ballots as they were run through the Dominion voting machines.

Many asked questions of the election workers as the workers ran the test ballots through the automatic tabulating equipment.

Of the observers on hand, roughly six were from a national nonprofit called Pillars of the Community. The bipartisan organization, led by a Republican and Democrat, seeks to instill confidence in the voting system, said Lindsay Hart, director of corporate and executive communications for the organization.

"The goal of the organization is to bolster faith and trust in our elections by engaging with community leaders to talk about the ongoing work at state and local levels to deliver a secure and reliable election," Hart said, who attended Monday's event in Detroit.

Grosse Pointe Park Mayor Michele Hodges also attended the accuracy test, as did Grosse Pointe City Councilman Chris Moyer and Marvin Beatty, vice president of community relations for Hollywood Casino at Greektown, all of whom said it was their first time attending the Detroit test.

"I'm here to just to get a better understanding of the procedures, safeguards that protect our votes, and to learn more what it takes to have fair elections," Beatty said.

Also on hand was Charley Coss, Michigan State Deputy Director of Election Integrity for the Republican National Committee, who declined comment.

The accuracy was held as Trump has amped up his yearslong criticism of Detroit's elections.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Justice has informed Michigan officials it intends to send election monitors to Detroit, along with East Lansing and Lansing, in the battleground state for the Aug. 4 primary.

The letters marked an escalation of the Trump administration's bid to scrutinize voting in Michigan. The Department of Justice has already sought a complete copy of Michigan's registered voter list and voting records from Wayne County, where Detroit is located.

Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey and other Michigan officials said the Department of Justice made false claims, including concerns about election law compliance and "long lines" in the 2024 presidential election.

Winfrey, who formally responded in a letter to the agency, said there were no lines in Detroit in 2024 and described the Department of Justice's claims as "thin gruel."

The August statewide primary election is when voters decide party nominees for governor, the state Legislature, and U.S. Congress. Absentee voting is underway. The first day of early in-person voting is Saturday, July 25.

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