Board certifies Dominion Democracy Suite 5.2 for use in Michigan

The Michigan Board of State Canvassers voted to certify the Dominion Democracy Suite 5.2 voting system for use in Michigan after receiving a staff recommendation based on federal testing, lab review and in‑state demonstrations.

Bureau of Elections staff described the layered certification process: voting system test laboratories accredited by NIST and the federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC) perform in‑depth reviews, then the bureau conducts its own testing and brings vendors and local clerks in for demonstrations. The bureau told the board that Dominion is used in 65 counties and that staff had run test ballots and simulations during a two‑day review that showed the system “functioned as expected.” The presentation outlined four major system components — election management system (EMS), precinct tabulators, high‑speed absentee scanners and voter‑assist ballot‑marking devices — and highlighted software and operating‑system updates in 5.2 that improve accessibility and reduce the risk of certain user errors.

Staff also said a specific accessibility problem seen in the prior version — where selecting straight‑party then attempting to select individual candidates caused the voter‑assist terminal to lose the straight‑party selection — had been fixed in 5.2. After the presentation a board member moved, “I move that the board certify the Dominion Democracy Suite 5.2 voting system for the use in the state of Michigan,” and the board approved the motion by voice vote.

Board members said the certification will trigger updates to equipment in the 65 counties that use Dominion ahead of upcoming elections.

The board did not record a roll‑call vote in the transcript; the certification was approved by voice.