Audits that don't actually change the result
An audit is supposed to catch a wrong count. But in many places the audit is 'informational' only — even if it finds the machines got it wrong, it can't overturn the result that was already certified.
Explainer video coming soon
A 60-second, plain-language walkthrough of this gap.
What actually happened
Michigan is a clear, codified example: under its election law, the post-election audit 'is not a recount and does not change any certified election results' — it's informational, with no statutory path from the audit to actually correcting the outcome. (Many states' audits are similarly non-binding.)
Where it stands today
This is current law, not history. Where audits can't bind the result, the paper trail and the audit become a reassurance exercise rather than a real check. The figure above measures today's statutes.
Checking the math, but the total's already locked
Imagine catching a mistake while double-checking an important bill — and being told the total is final no matter what you found. That's a non-binding audit: it runs, it might even spot that the machine count was off, but it has no power to change the result that was already certified.
Why it matters
A paper trail and an audit are only as strong as what happens when they disagree with the machines. Michigan's law is explicit — its post-election audit "is not a recount and does not change any certified election results," and many states' audits are similarly informational. So the check can find a problem and the wrong outcome can still stand.
How TrustVoting closes it
TrustVoting's risk-limiting-audit-ready paper trail is built so a discrepancy escalates — to a wider count, and a correction if the result was wrong — rather than being recorded and ignored. An audit that can't change the result isn't really an audit.
How TrustVoting closes it
TrustVoting's risk-limiting-audit-ready paper trail is designed so that an audit which finds a discrepancy escalates — to a wider count and, if needed, a correction — instead of being filed as a note. An audit that can't change a wrong result isn't really a check.