Early voting is underway across Michigan. Here's how many have cast ballots already

LANSING — More than half a million people have cast ballots in person since Saturday, the first statewide day of early voting, according to the latest numbers from the Michigan Secretary of State.

On the first day of early in-person voting for most state residents, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced that 145,134 people cast votes, far exceeding the expectations of state and local election officials. That number has more than tripled, according to numbers updated early Wednesday.

More than 505,000 people have voted in person and, overall, more than 2 million people in Michigan have voted when counting absentee ballots already returned.

Among the top five counties for early voting, more than 268,000 have voted — 71,000 in Wayne County alone.

The early voting period began on the second Saturday prior to Election Day, which was Oct. 26, and ends the Sunday before the election, Nov. 3, the Michigan Secretary of State said.

However, communities may decide to provide additional days of early voting. Under state law, communities can offer up to 28 days of early voting.

Detroit, Canton Township and East Lansing began early voting before Oct. 26. Detroit began early voting Oct. 19, Canton Township and East Lansing began early voting starting Oct. 21.

Here is how to find early voting locations and times in your county.

How many people have voted so far in Michigan?

There were 7,261,193 registered active voters as of Oct. 29. According to the Secretary of State, here's how vote-by-mail and early voting is going in Michigan as of Oct. 29:

• Absentee ballots returned: 1,692,067

• Voted in person: 505,683

• Total votes submitted: 2,197,759

Want to see the breakdown in your county? You also can see the breakdown by township or city.

Where have the most people voted in person?

As of Oct. 29, here are the top five counties where voters cast their ballots during early voting:

• Wayne County: 71,806

• Oakland County: 61,996

• Macomb County: 48,472

• Kent County: 39,391

• Genesee County: 22,255

Want to see the breakdown in your county? 

Where have the most people voted absentee?

As of Oct. 29, here are the top five counties where voters have returned their mail-in ballots:

• Wayne County: 260,915

• Oakland County: 254,834

• Macomb County: 145,046

• Kent County: 107,919

• Washtenaw County: 77,461

Want to see the breakdown in your county? 

When is the 2024 presidential election?

The general election will be held Nov. 5. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

To vote on Election Day, you must vote in your assigned precinct.

When is early voting in Michigan?

The state requires early voting from Oct. 26 through Nov. 2, but each county's county clerk may choose to offer more early voting days, starting up to five days earlier or lasting one day longer. Many started early voting on Oct. 21 and some will continue early voting through Nov. 3.

Here are the dates and times for early voting in every Michigan county.

Want a vote-by-mail ballot? You've missed the deadline

The final deadline for vote-by-mail requests was Oct. 21.

When are early voting and vote-by-mail ballots counted in Michigan?

Absentee ballots take time to securely process and count, according to the secretary of state.

"To ensure timely results, many states allow clerks a week or more to process absentee ballots prior to Election Day. For example, Florida allows clerks to process absentee ballots for one month before an election," the secretary of state noted.

In Michigan, cities and townships with a population of 5,000 residents or more may establish an Absentee Voter Counting Board to process and tabulate absentee ballots during any of the eight days before an election between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Cities and townships, regardless of population, can establish an AVCB to process and tabulate absentee ballots on the Monday before an election between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.

When will we know if Kamala Harris or Donald Trump won the election?

There will almost certainly be enough votes counted to project the winners. When the polls close, the already-received results will be posted. More will be added as returns come in from around the state.

To find local election results, the Michigan Secretary of State has a list of local clerks' websites.

But no state can count every vote by election night and results can change days or even weeks later.

Votes that will be counted after Election Day include those from members of the military and people living overseas who must have their completed absentee ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received by their local clerk within six days after the election.

Early voting locations, dates, times for your Michigan county

The Michigan Secretary of State offers a website where you can search for your polling location.

Here's how to find a sample ballot in Michigan

In most cases, you can see a sample ballot on your county clerk's website. The races on your ballot all depend on where you live. To see your sample ballot, go to the elections website for your area and enter your address. The Michigan Secretary of State offers a look at your ballot as well.

Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan early in-person voting has started. Here's where people are voting