Michigan's Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson, announced that more than 250,000 voters participated in early voting during the first two statewide early voting days. This turnout far surpassed the expectations of state and local election officials. In addition to in-person early voting, over 1.5 million voters in Michigan have already submitted absentee ballots as of Monday morning.
This election marks the first time Michigan voters have the option to vote at an in-person early voting site, following the passage of a law in 2022 enabling early voting. As a result, there is no historical comparison for the early voting figures in the state.
Notably, Michigan does not register voters by party, so the party lean of early voters remains unknown. Secretary Benson reported that the early voting process ran smoothly, with reports of long lines but no instances of voters leaving due to wait times.
While most counties in Michigan are processing votes early, the city of Warren has opted not to do so. Secretary Benson expressed hope that all clerks would take advantage of options to ensure efficiency, security, and accuracy in tabulating votes. She confirmed that her office has offered support to the Warren clerk to facilitate the efficient and secure tabulation of votes in the city.
