DEPARTMENT OF STATE  
BUREAU OF ELECTIONS  
USE OF ELECTRONIC POLLBOOK  
(By authority conferred on the secretary of state by section 31 of the Michigan  
election law, 1954 PA 116, MCL 168.31)  
R 168.41 Definitions.  
Rule 1. (1) As used in these rules:  
(a) “Act” means the Michigan election law, 1954 PA 116, MCL 168.1 to 168.992.  
(b) “Approved form of transmission” means an encrypted or password protected, or  
both, flash drive or other electronic media used to store election files and transfer files  
between the electronic pollbook and qualified voter file, or another form of secure storage  
and transmission if approved by the bureau of elections.  
(c) “Department” means the department of state.  
(d) “Electronic pollbook” means computer software that receives information from  
the qualified voter file and is used during elections to process voters and generate reports.  
Electronic pollbook includes, but is not limited to, the early voting electronic pollbook,  
the election day vote center electronic pollbook, and the election day electronic pollbook,  
or any combination of those electronic pollbooks.  
(e) “Secretary of state’s duly authorized agent” includes bureau of elections staff,  
other necessary department staff, county, city, and township clerks or their designees,  
election inspectors, and relevant department of technology, management, and budget staff  
as determined by the director of elections.  
(2) Unless otherwise defined in these rules, a term defined in the act has the same  
meaning when used in these rules.  
History: 2025 MR 20, Eff. October 23, 2025.  
R 168.42 Access to electronic pollbook data and software.  
Rule 2. (1) The voter data contained in the electronic pollbook are public records  
subject to the freedom of information act, 1976 PA 442, MCL 15.231 to 15.246. Voter  
data that is exempt from disclosure under section 13 of the freedom of information act,  
1976 PA 442, MCL 15.243, must not be released.  
(2) Records regarding electronic pollbook software programming are confidential  
and must not be released if disclosure of the records may compromise the confidentiality,  
integrity, or availability of cybersecurity of election information systems.  
(3) The secretary of state’s duly authorized agents shall have access to the electronic  
pollbook software and complete the security verification required by the department to  
access the electronic pollbook software.  
History: 2025 MR 20, Eff. October 23, 2025.  
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R 168.43 Download and backup.  
Rule 3. (1) For the early voting period, if a jurisdiction conducts early voting, the  
clerk designated in the early voting agreement shall access the early voting electronic  
pollbook software as instructed by the department.  
(2) For election day, the clerk conducting the election shall download the electronic  
pollbook software as instructed by the department.  
(3) If the electronic pollbook software as described in section 668b(1) of the act,  
MCL 168.668b, has a secure live connection to the qualified voter file software at a  
polling place or early voting site, the electronic pollbook software with the secure live  
connection must be used to process voters and to generate election precinct reports, and  
the downloaded electronic pollbook software, or a paper copy of the downloaded  
electronic pollbook software, serves as a backup.  
History: 2025 MR 20, Eff. October 23, 2025.  
R 168.44 Electronic pollbook during the early voting period.  
Rule 4. (1) If an early voting site has internet access, the electronic pollbook  
software used during the early voting period must have a secure live connection to the  
qualified voter file software to allow real-time updates to voter history and ballot  
issuance.  
(2) At the conclusion of each day of early voting, election inspectors at an early  
voting site shall print from the electronic pollbook a list of voters who voted that day at  
the early voting site and include the list in the physical pollbook.  
History: 2025 MR 20, Eff. October 23, 2025.  
R 168.45 Electronic pollbook on election day.  
Rule 5. If a polling place has internet access and the bureau of elections has  
established live connectivity functionality with the qualified voter file, the electronic  
pollbook software used on election day must have a secure live connection to the  
qualified voter file software to allow real-time updates to voter history and ballot  
issuance.  
History: 2025 MR 20, Eff. October 23, 2025.  
R 168.46 Production of reports.  
Rule 6. (1) If the polling place produces required reports after the close of polls on  
election day, election inspectors at the polling place shall print from the electronic  
pollbook the required reports and include the reports in the physical pollbook.  
(2) If the receiving board produces reports after the close of polls on election day,  
election inspectors shall download the required reports to the approved form of  
transmission, seal it in a transfer case, and 2 election inspectors representing each of the  
major political parties shall deliver it to the receiving board. The receiving board shall  
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print from the approved form of transmission the required reports for the election day  
polling place, early voting site, or vote center and include the list in the physical  
pollbook.  
History: 2025 MR 20, Eff. October 23, 2025.  
R 168.47 Upload of electronic pollbook files to the qualified voter file.  
Rule 7. If the electronic pollbook is not connected via secure live connection to the  
qualified voter file while voting takes place, within 7 days after an election, the clerk  
responsible for administering the election shall upload the voting history and other  
required files from the electronic pollbook to the qualified voter file using the approved  
form of transmission.  
History: 2025 MR 20, Eff. October 23, 2025.  
R 168.48 Data retention.  
Rule 8. (1) Subject to subrule (2) of this rule, the electronic pollbook software and  
associated files must be deleted from all devices by the seventh day following the final  
canvass and certification of the election, unless a petition for recount has been filed and  
the recount has not been completed, a post-election audit has been scheduled, or the  
deletion of the data has been stayed by an order of the court or the secretary of state. If a  
precinct is selected for an audit, the electronic pollbook software and associated files  
must be deleted from all devices by the seventh day following completion of the audit.  
(2) The electronic pollbook software and associated files must not be deleted from  
devices until the bureau of elections or county clerk, as applicable, issues the release of  
security memorandum pertaining to that election.  
History: 2025 MR 20, Eff. October 23, 2025.  
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