LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A Michigan lawmaker wants to make sure election records are preserved.

Rep. Jennifer Wortz (R-Quincy) is urging the Michigan Senate to take up and pass House Bill 5845. It would require data contained on electronic poll book flash drives used in elections to be preserved for 22 months. The bill passed the House in June.

“Election records belong to the people, regardless of which party wins or loses,” said Rep. Wortz. “There is a very basic principle at stake here: when evidence is created as part of an election, it must be carefully preserved by all official parties involved.”

The bill would conflict with an existing Bureau of Elections administrative rule governing electronic poll book data. Rule 168.48 took effect in October 2025. Generally, it requires electronic poll book software and associated files to be deleted from devices by the seventh day following the final canvass and certification of an election. Exceptions for recounts, post-election audits and certain court or secretary of state orders are included.

Rep. Wortz called the rule “backwards.” She said, “Think about what that means. A record generated during the administration of an election can be gone within days.”

Whether the Democratic-led Michigan Senate will take up the bill remains unclear. The measure was referred to the Senate Elections and Ethics Committee in June. The chamber is led by Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids), who this week became even more closely tied to the election debate when Secretary of State and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson named Brinks as her running mate.

Election administration has also been the subject of disputes between Benson’s office and Republican lawmakers. State Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Township), the running mate of Republican gubernatorial candidate John James, chairs the House Oversight Committee. It has sought  election-related records and materials from Benson’s office. The House subpoenaed records from Benson’s office and both parties entered mediation in 2025. It did not result in an agreement, so the case is continued in the Court of Appeals.

Election integrity and administration are likely to remain issues in Michigan’s gubernatorial campaign heading into November.