Michigan early voting: More than 250,000 voters in first weekend, Secretary of State says

The first-ever statewide weekend of early voting ahead of a general election in Michigan was marked by high turnout, with more than 250,000 voters taking advantage of the new option, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said at a news conference Monday morning.

"This weekend, Michigan voters made history, turning out in massive numbers to cast their ballot at an early voting site," said Benson. There are over 7.2 million active registered voters in Michigan, according to the Secretary of State's website.

Early voting began statewide Saturday and will continue through Sunday. A ballot measure approved by 60% of Michigan voters in the 2022 election requires at least nine days of early voting ahead of statewide and federal elections. Detroit, Canton and East Lansing opted to offer their voters more than the required nine days. This year was the first time every Michigan voter had the opportunity to vote early.

At early voting sites, voters fill out a ballot and insert them into the tabulator, just as they would at their polling location on Election Day.

This past Saturday, more than 145,000 voters turned out to vote early, in person, and on Sunday, 105,000 voters participated, according to Benson. The numbers from the weekend "far exceeded" election officials' expectations, she said. The highest single-day turnout for early voting in Michigan's two other statewide elections this year — the February presidential primary and the August primary — was 11,000 voters. Benson highlighted the high turnout this weekend as a sign that more Michigan voters are starting to take advantage of the state's nascent early voting option.

Michigan absentee voting update

Absentee voting is also underway in Michigan. And as of Monday morning, more than 1.5 million Michigan voters have returned their absentee ballots.

"What that means is nearly a quarter of the state's active registered voters — 24% — have already cast their ballot in this November election," Benson said, providing a figure that includes both early and absentee ballots. She pointed to that turnout rate as an indication that voters are eager to participate in this election.

In addition to the presidential race, Michigan voters are casting votes to fill an open U.S. Senate seat and weighing in on congressional, state legislative, Michigan Supreme Court and university board races, as well as local offices and proposals.

Washtenaw County is leading the state in turnout, with almost 30% of active registered voters participating so far in absentee and early in-person, according to Benson. Oakland County was next in line with a 27.5% turnout rate.

Age and gender divide in early voting

Different generations appear to be embracing different voting methods. Almost two-thirds of Michigan voters who have voted absentee are older than 60 years old, Benson said. Meanwhile, 61% of those who have voted early in-person, so far, are under 60, she said.

A gender gap is also apparent: Turnout of female voters accounted for 55% of all the votes cast to date and male voters accounted for 44% of the votes cast so far, Benson said.

How to vote early in Michigan

Voters can find their early voting site by going to michigan.gov/vote and clicking "Where do I go to Early Vote?" and entering their information.

Early voting ends in Michigan this upcoming Sunday.

Election officials encourage those who haven't returned their absentee ballots to do so via a local ballot drop box to avoid potential postal delays. Drop box locations can be found at michigan.gov/vote. Clerks must receive absentee ballots by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5 in order to count the vote. Voters can also go to an early voting center and insert their absentee ballot in the tabulator.

When is the 2024 election?

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. That day, voters can visit their polling location from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Contact Clara Hendrickson: [email protected] or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen.

Looking for more on Michigan’s elections this year? Check out our voter guide, subscribe to our elections newsletter and always feel free to share your thoughts in a letter to the editor.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan early voting: More than 250,000 votes in 1st weekend