Michigan releases data about number of absentee ballots rejected in November
A very small number of absentee ballots were rejected during the Nov. 3 general election, says Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
Data provided by the Michigan Department of States shows that 15,300 of the 3.3 million absentee ballots cast were rejected compared to 10,600 rejected during the August primary election.
The majority of ballots were rejected because of voters having moved before Election Day (4,090) and voters dying before Election Day (3,469). A total of 3,328 ballots were rejected because they were received by local clerks after 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Benson said statewide voter education efforts combined with the installation of ballot drop boxes helped dramatically reduce the rate of voter disenfranchisement due to late ballot submission and signature errors.
Other reasons for ballot rejection
• No signature: 1,852
• Signature did not match: 1,400
• Voter registration cancelled before Election Day: 1,015
• Envelope submitted without ballot: 85
• ID not confirmed (for first time voter who registered by mail): 58
• Voter sentenced or incarcerated before Election Day: 5
In Michigan, 5,579,317 voters cast a ballot in this year’s presidential election, far surpassing the record of roughly 5 million voters that turned out in November 2008. President-Elect Joe Biden received 2,804,040 votes while President Trump received 2,649,852 votes.
In Oakland County, of the 775,379 ballots cast countywide, over 527,000 were cast absentee (roughly 68% of all ballots).
46 county communities reported a total of 2,456 rejected ballots because voters moved (650) or ballots arrived after 8 p.m. on Election Day (737). 11 ballots were rejected because the absentee ballot envelope did not contain a ballot.
In Macomb County, 1,641 of the 290,246 absentee ballots were rejected because they were late (363), voters moved (396), and voters died (348).
In Detroit, 1,432 of the 174,530 absentee ballots were rejected due mostly to voters having moved (336), voters having died (150), and ballots having no signature (625). Overall, 3,441 of the 565,432 absentee ballots in Wayne County were rejected because voters died (641), voters moved (884), and ballots had no signature (887).