More than 1.2M people in Michigan voted in person before Election Day

More than 1.2 million Michigan residents took advantage of early in-person voting before it ended Sunday, state officials said Monday morning.

When including absentee voting, nearly 3.1 million of the state's more than 7 million registered voters have already cast ballots ahead of Election Day.

Sunday was the single-highest day for early in-person voting with 189,422 ballots cast.

With one day to go until Election Day, among the counties with the most early in-person voters, Wayne County has recorded 175,040 votes.

When did early voting end?

Early in-person voting ended Sunday.

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

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

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

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

How many people have voted so far in Michigan?

There were 7,274,257 registered active voters as of Nov. 3. According to the Secretary of State, here's how vote-by-mail and early voting is going in Michigan as of Nov. 3:

• Absentee ballots returned: 1,981,594

• Voted in person: 1,214,444

• Total votes submitted: 3,196,038

Where have the most people voted in person?

As of Oct. 31, here are the top five counties where voters cast their ballots during early voting:

• Wayne County: 175,040

• Oakland County: 153,594

• Macomb County: 122,025

• Kent County: 96,705

• Genesee County: 54,077

Want to see the breakdown in your county? 

Where have the most people voted absentee?

As of Oct. 31, here are the top five counties where voters have returned their mail-in ballots:

• Oakland County: 309,071

• Wayne County: 305,948

• Macomb County: 169,620

• Kent County: 126,256

• Washtenaw County: 94,449

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.

Want to vote by mail? It's too late to mail your ballot

You can still return ballots, but officials recommend doing so in person at your clerk's office or polling place.

When are early and absentee 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.

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

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.

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 story was updated to add a video.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan early voting is over, Election Day Tuesday