Michigan voters are eagerly awaiting the first wave of unofficial results from the battleground state, with Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announcing that these results could start coming in as early as Tuesday night. The last polls are set to close at 9 p.m. ET.
Secretary Benson explained that the initial numbers will include votes cast in person at early vote centers, as well as absentee ballots that have already been returned and tabulated. Michigan's new law allowing for early tabulation has facilitated this process, with over 80% of absentee ballots sent to voters already returned.
Voters still have the opportunity to return their mail ballots to their local clerk's office or a ballot drop box before 8 p.m. on Election Day. In-person, same-day voter registration remains an option for those showing up at polling places.
Reflecting on the 2020 election, Secretary Benson highlighted the challenges faced due to the inability to pre-process absentee ballots until Election Day. However, this year, clerks in larger municipalities have been able to start processing and tabulating ballots as early as a week ago.
Secretary Benson expressed optimism about the timing of the results, stating that based on current trends, they are on track to have results earlier than in the previous election. With nearly 3.2 million people already casting their votes, amounting to about 44% of active registered voters, Michigan is gearing up for another high turnout election. Notably, over 1.2 million voters have taken advantage of the state's new in-person early voting option.
