(WWJ) — Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says the first full weekend of early, in-person voting across the state was “a rousing success.”
Speaking at a press conference Monday morning, Benson announced the turnout over the first two days of early, in-person voting was 263,000.
Michigan voters in 2022 approved a constitutional amendment that gives voters the right to vote early and in person at certain early voting sites before statewide and federal elections. Early voting allows citizens to cast their ballots before election day in an experience similar to voting on Election Day.
This is the third election in Michigan with the early, in-person option available to voters — after this February’s presidential primary and the August primary — and Benson said Michiganders are starting to embrace it.
“The fact that in this November election, a quarter of a million Michigan citizens voted, in the first two days alone, showed that it’s starting to be embraced by citizens all across our state,” she said.
Benson noted the in-person numbers are in addition to more than 1.5 million absentee ballots that have already been cast, meaning nearly a quarter of the state’s active registered voters (24%) have already cast their ballots.
Early, in-person voting across the state runs through Sunday, with a pause on Monday before Election Day on Nov. 5.
Benson said Monday Washtenaw County saw the highest turnout over the weekend, with 30% of the county’s registered voters having already cast ballots. Oakland County was close behind at 27.5%.
In the city of Detroit, early voting began a week earlier on Oct. 19. Benson said Monday more than 12,000 Detroit residents have already voted, according to data through Sunday.
During the early voting period, voters are issued a ballot and can then insert their ballot directly into a tabulator at their early voting site. Clerks can start processing ballots early, but the results cannot be shared until after the polls close on election night at 8 p.m.
While absentee voting remains an option, as the week goes on, officials are encouraging voters to drive the absentee ballots to their clerk’s office because the mail system may not get it there in time at this point.