@metal-brain said
"it would have been found in the canvass process even if the person who originally made the error hadn't quickly realized it."
How do you know that is true? I can say the moon is made of cheese, but that does not make it true. How would the canvass process catch it if it was not "noticed" before that?
Because of Michigan Election Law:
"168.801 Canvass of votes by precinct inspectors; public access.
Sec. 801. Immediately on closing the polls, the board of inspectors of election in each precinct shall proceed to canvass the vote. Such canvass shall commence by a comparison of the poll lists and a correction of any mistakes that may be found therein until they shall be found or made to agree. Such canvass shall be public and the doors to the polling places and at least 1 door in the building housing the polling places and
giving ready access to them shall not be locked during such canvass."
"168.806 Duplicate statements of returns; contents, certificate as to correctness.
Sec. 806. (1) The election inspectors shall then prepare duplicate statements of the returns showing the
whole number of votes cast for all offices voted that are to be canvassed by the board of county canvassers, the names of the persons for whom the votes were given, and the number each person received. "
https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-116-1954-XXIX.pdf
The election inspectors in each precinct and county are evenly divided between the Republican and Democrats. A wide Biden victory in a normally secure Republican county would have surely triggered an examination of the machines, just like what happened shortly after the error anyway. Thus, there is no chance the error would have gone uncorrected.