1.7 Million Ballots Returned in Michigan Before Election Day
Twenty-three percent of registered voters have already cast their ballots, a sharp rise from levels seen in the previous week.
By Sakura Ellis ·
Michigan Secretary of State officials reported that 1,704,715 voters have submitted ballots ahead of the Nov. 3 election. That figure represents 23% of the state's 7,412,507 active registered voters. The surge in participation marks a distinct acceleration in voter activity over the past seven days.
Advance voting began on Sept. 24 when clerks mailed ballots to individuals on the permanent absentee list or those with prior requests. By Thursday, 1,346,372 of those mailed ballots had been returned. Early in-person voting started earlier in specific communities like East Lansing on Oct. 19, while the remainder of the state opened polling places on Saturday. Voters cast 358,343 ballots in person during that early period.
The share of registered voters who submitted ballots rose from 16.4% to 18.8% in the week leading up to Thursday's count. This steady climb indicates a consistent increase in engagement as Election Day approaches.
Local election clerks will not tabulate any ballots until after polls close at 8 p.m. local time on Election Day. The state will provide live coverage of results on air and online throughout the evening. Most of Michigan operates on Eastern time, though a few Upper Peninsula counties follow Central time.
Voters must be 18 years old, U.S. citizens, and Michigan residents to participate. The state website lists requirements for checking registration status, sample ballots, and polling locations at Michigan.gov/vote. Election Day voting hours run from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time.
Source: CBS News Detroit
