AN AVALANCHE OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS
Over 2 million Michiganders have cast votes for the November election
InMichigan, over 3million absentee ballots have been requested for the Nov. 3 presidential election, which accounts for nearly 40% of the state’s registered voters.
Since the Aug. 4 primary election, over 330,000 Michiganders have registered to vote, according to newdata fromtheMichigan Secretary of State’s Office.
As of Monday, 3,147,517 ballots had been requested, 3,155,165 ballots had been issued, and 2,107,019 ballots had been returned to local clerks. In Oakland County, where there are over 1 million registered voters, over 502,000 ballots had been requested, 504,123 issued, and 325,074 returned.
The Oakland County absentee numbers represent a 65% to 67% increase from the November 2016 general election. The statewide AV ballot numbers are 64% to 65% higher compared to 2016. The significant increases are due primarily to the passage of Proposal 3 in 2018, which made no-reason absentee voting state law, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which has prompted many voters to avoid the polls and vote from home.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said voters that have yet to return their absentee ballot should avoid the mail, and instead return ballots in person via a local ballot drop box or to the local clerk’s office, not by mail.
“We are too close to Election Day, and the right to vote is too important, to rely on the Postal Service to deliver absentee ballots on time,” she said. “Citizens who already have an absentee ballot should sign the back of the envelope and hand-deliver it to their city or township clerk’s office or ballot drop box as soon as possible.
For voters who have not yet received their ballot, Benson is recommending that those individuals visit their clerk’s office to request a ballot in person. Once there, voters can fill out and cast their ballot all in one visit.
Voters can find their local ballot drop box location by visitingMichigan.gov/ Vote, which can also be used to track ballots. Ballot drop box locations can also be found at https:// www. michigandropbox.com/ counties.html.
City and township clerk’s offices statewide will be open for business on Saturday, Oct. 31, and/or Sunday, Nov. 1, to assist voters. Voters should call their local clerk’s office to confirm hours.
Absentee ballots will be available at local clerk offices for registered voters until 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2. Unregistered voters can register at their clerk office and then vote an absentee ballot there through 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3.
Absentee ballots must be received by the voter’s city or township clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3 to be counted. Voters may ask immediate family or a member of their household to deliver their ballot for them.
Notable deadlines
• By 5 p.m., Oct. 30: Votersmay obtainan absentee ballot via First Class mail
• By 2 p.m., Oct. 31: Voters may submit a written request by mail to their local clerk to spoil their absentee ballot and receive a new ballot by mail.
• Up to 4 p.m., Nov. 2: Votersmay obtain an absentee ballot in person at their local clerk’s office.
• By 4 p.m., Nov. 2: Votersmay submit a written request in person at their local clerks office to spoil their absentee ballot and receive new ballot in the clerk’s office
• Up to 4 p.m., Nov. 3: A voter may request an emergency absentee ballot if they cannot attend the polls because of a personal injury/illness or a family death/illness that requires them to leave their community for the entire time the polls are open on election day The emergency must have occurred after 5 pm on Friday,
Oct. 30.
• If you are requesting an emergency absentee ballot, you may have someone deliver your written request for the ballot to your city or township clerk’s office before 4 p.m. on election day.
• Up to 8 p.m., Nov. 3: ElectionDay registrants may obtain and vote an absent voter ballot in person in the clerk’s office or vote in person in the proper precinct.
Ballot cannot be spoiled on Election Day for voters who have already
returned their ballot. If you’re a voter who filled out your ballot, but never returned it, you can spoil your ballot on Election Day by visiting your local clerk’s office and completing an Affidavit of Lost or Destroyed Absent Voter Ballot or by surrendering the original ballot.