More signing up to vote by mail

Voters need to register by July 20

More than 1.5 million Michiganders have so far requested an absentee ballot be sent to them, the Michigan Secretary of State’s office reports.

Voters who want to vote by mail have until July 20 to register to vote online ahead of the Aug. 4 state primary, the office says.

Once they are registered, potential voters can then request online for a ballot to be mailed to them.

“Our team has worked hard this past year, in close partnership with our local clerks, preparing for the August and November elections,” Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said in a statement. “Voters should feel confident that however they choose to cast their ballot they can do so safely, and their voices will be heard and their vote will be counted.”

Benson’s office released data on how voters in Michigan are reacting to the option to vote by mail, offering comparisons between 2016 and 2020 from 28 days before the election.

In 2016, 429,130 applications were received, while this year, 1,506,726 were received.

In 2016, 410,804 ballots were issues, compared to 1,407,374 so far this year.

And the number of ballots so far returned have nearly doubled so far, with 57,144 returned in 2016 and 109,199 returned this year.

“Now and through election day, Michiganders can also register and vote in person at their local clerk office,” the state secretary of state’s office said. “Voters who are already registered can vote in person at their clerk office now and through the day before the election. On election day, already registered voters must vote at their local polling place. Clerk and polling place information is available at Michigan.gov/Vote.”

Once you go to the site, you can review your status as a voter by entering your name, zip code, and month and year of birth. You can also search by driver’s license number, which you can use to request an mailin ballot.

Benson’s office also reminded voters that for the state primary election on Aug. 4, voters can only vote for one party.

Voters are also reminded that if they have their ballot, they should fill it out and send it in as soon as possible, signing the back of the envelope and sending or dropping off to the local election clerk’s office or a dropbox. The ballot’s return envelope must be signed by the voter to be counted.