Michigan voters cast 1.7 million ballots before Election Day
State officials report that 23% of registered residents have already submitted their votes, with absentee mailings driving the majority of early activity.
By Alina Campbell ·
The count stands at 1,704,715.
Michigan’s Secretary of State reported that 23% of the state’s active registered voters have already submitted their ballots as of Thursday. This total combines both mailed-in absentee votes and those cast in person during the early voting period.
The majority of these submissions arrived through the mail. Officials recorded 1,346,372 returned absentee ballots as of Thursday. The process began on Sept. 24, when election clerks started mailing papers to voters who had requested them or were on the permanent list. The steady rise in mail returns has been consistent over the past week.
Early in-person voting accounted for the remaining share. A total of 358,343 voters cast ballots at polling places before the general election. While some communities, including East Lansing, opened their doors on Oct. 19, most of the state began accepting in-person votes on Saturday. The state has 7,412,507 active registered voters.
Local election clerks will not tabulate any ballots until after polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day. This rule applies to every vote, whether it arrived by mail weeks ago or is handed in at the door on the day itself. Voting hours run from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., with most of the state observing Eastern time and a few Upper Peninsula counties on Central time.
Citizens aged 18 and older who are U.S. citizens and Michigan residents are eligible to participate. The state maintains a portal at Michigan.gov/vote where residents can check their registration status and locate their voting site.
