More than 11% of all active registered voters in Michigan have cast their ballots for the Aug. 4 primary, the Michigan Secretary of State announced on Tuesday, July 28.
More than 800,000 have voted via absentee ballot and over 30,000 cast their ballot at an early voting site.
Early in-person voting started on July 25.
As of 7 a.m. July 28, 1,980,000 voters requested a mail ballot for the election, including 1,921,000 on the permanent mail ballot list, the Secretary of State's office said. More than 801,000 voters have returned their completed ballot. Compared to the same time in 2022, mail ballot requests have increased 58.8% and ballots returned are up nearly 36%.
Early voting turnout has also increased since the last election where Michigan saw
a 78% increase over the first weekend of early voting with 30,740 Michiganders casting ballots in the first three days of early voting.
Overall, 832,435 Michigan voters have already cast their ballot — a turnout rate of 11.3% of all active registered voters in the state, the SoS office said. In 2022, about 539,000 people had voted as of a week before election day.
There are about 7.3 million active registered voters in Michigan, according to theSoS voter dashboard.
Early voting will continue through Sunday, Aug. 2. Election day in Michigan is Tuesday, Aug. 4.
How can I return my absentee ballot?
Ballots must be inserted into a drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted. If you're mailing your ballot, it must be received by your local clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
By mail: It's generally too late to simply drop you ballot into the U.S. mail to ensure it arrives in time. The state department encourages voters to mail in their ballots at least two weeks before Election Day to avoid potential mailing delays. A pre-paid envelope is provided for voters who vote absentee.
Drop box: Voters can return a completed and signed ballot to one of their clerk's secure drop boxes located in their city or township. To look where your clerk's drop box locations click here.
On Election Day (except in Detroit): Voters can return their absentee at the polling place where they can insert it into the tabulator. You can find your polling place at michigan.gov/vote.
At an early voting site: Voters can return their absentee ballot at their early voting site and insert it into the tabulator. You can find your early voting site at michigan.gov/vote.
At a clerk's office: Voters can also return their absentee ballot to the clerk's office. You can find your clerk's office at michigan.gov/vote.
Tracking your absentee ballot
Track the status of your absentee ballot application and ballot online using the Michigan Voter Information Center. Visit mvic.sos.state.mi.us, click on "Your voter information" and fill out the search form. Once on your page, you can check if your application or ballot has been received.
How do I register to vote?
Michiganders who have not yet registered to vote can do so at their local clerk’s office by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Thousands have voted early in Michigan. What state is saying
