Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says voters turned out in record numbers ahead of primary
(CBS DETROIT) - Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson gave one last update Monday afternoon ahead of today's presidential primary, saying that voters have shown enthusiasm for this election and turned out in record numbers to vote early.
At the end of early voting on Monday, 78,093 Michigan residents voted in person at early voting sites, and 934,478 voters turned in their absentee ballots to their local clerk's offices.
Early voting
After a record number of people voted early for this election, Benson expects thousands more to vote at the polls on Feb. 27.
"Your vote is your voice - and our democracy is stronger when every eligible citizen has the chance to make their voice heard," said Secretary Benson. "It's inspiring to see Michigan citizens active and engaged in this Presidential Primary. Michigan voters have turned out in record numbers to cast an absentee ballot or to vote at an early voting site for the first time in our state's history, and many thousands more will vote at the polls tomorrow. No matter how Michiganders choose to cast their vote in this election, our dedicated local clerks and poll workers will administer a secure process and deliver accurate results."
This is the first time early voting is available statewide. Michigan voters received nine days to vote early and in person. This was approved by voters under Proposal 2 in 2022.
Early voting will now be available in Michigan for every statewide and federal election.
"I can tell you; I've never seen this level of excitement from voters as they go into the early voting site and cast their ballot for the first time," said Michael Siegrist, Canton Township clerk. "I have been a clerk since 2016. I have known nothing but change and some challenges - every election brings new challenges. But what is clear is after the massive effort to implement early voting and all the reforms of Proposal 2, is that voters, poll workers, and clerks are going to be excited about this new option."
Absentee ballots
Here's the breakdown of absentee ballots that were requested versus the ones that were submitted:
One Day Before Election Day (Feb. 26, 2024) | One Day Before Election Day (March 9, 2020) | |
Number of applications received | 1,402,194 | 960,284 |
Number of ballots issued | 1,261,458 | 994,432 |
Number of completed ballots returned | 934,478 | 779,715 |
Anyone who still needs to turn in their absentee ballot can take it to a drop box location or their local clerk's office by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Michigan presidential primary information
Polls will open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time today.
Michigan has same-day voter registration, which means anyone who is not registered to vote can still do so today at their local clerk's office by 8 p.m.
After registering, the voters can vote using an absentee ballot at the clerk's office.
Voters heading to the polls to vote today can find their polling locations by visiting the Secretary of State's website.
For Democrats, President Biden, Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota and author Marianne Williamson will appear on the ballot. Williamson dropped out of the race earlier this month, but the candidate list was finalized in December.
In addition, for Republicans, former President Donald Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley will be on the ballot.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy even though they have dropped out of the race.