Manistee County leads area in absentee ballots returned
Read the full article on the Midland Daily News website here.
Michelle Fedder - February 27, 2024
DETROIT — Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced Monday that more than 1 million Michigan voters had already cast their ballot in the Presidential Primary with less than 24 hours until polls opened on Election Day.
“Your vote is your voice — and our democracy is stronger when every eligible citizen has the chance to make their voice heard,” said 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," she said in a news release on Monday. "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.”
At the close of early voting on Sunday, 78,093 ballots were cast during the nine-day early voting period. The highest turnout day was Feb. 25 with 11,030 voters participating, according to the Secretary of State's office.
This was the first statewide election with constitutionally guaranteed in-person early voting under Proposal 2 of 2022.
The breakdown for early votes cast in northwest Michigan counties is as follows:
Benzie County: 484
Manistee County: 255
Mason County: 333
Wexford County: 214
A break down of all in-person early votes by jurisdiction is available online.
The Manistee County Clerk's Office worked with local municipalities to host three joint early voting sites.
"It is different from county to county, but we set up three reachable sites for early voting," Manistee County clerk Lindsey Marquardt said in a previous interview. "This will allow us to have enough workers to cover the nine days."
In Benzie County, early voting was handled by each local municipality.
Benzie County Clerk Tammy Bowers said in a previous interview that townships chose to handle their own elections because they felt it would be less confusing to the voters. The county clerk's office provided support to local clerks.
“Promote the Vote is actively working to educate the public on this new, exciting option — we’re running ads, we’re sending mailers, and we’re working with our partners to call, text and canvass voters,” said Micheal Davis Jr., executive director of Promote the Vote Michigan on Monday. “The Bureau of Elections and our city, township and county clerks have worked tirelessly under tight timelines to ensure that Michigan voters can exercise their constitutional right to vote early. It wasn’t easy, but their steadfast dedication means that voting is that much more accessible for all Michiganders. We are forever grateful for their efforts.”
A total of 934,478 Michigan voters have completed their absentee ballot and submitted it to be tabulated. More than 1.4 million voters requested an absentee ballot for the primary.
In northwestern Michigan counties, the breakdown of absentee ballots returned as of Monday is as follows:
Benzie County: 2,344
Manistee County: 2,842
Mason County: 2,328
Wexford County: 1,986
A breakdown of absentee ballot numbers by jurisdiction is available online.
Election results for Manistee and Benzie counties can be found online at manisteenews.com.
Polls are open until 8 p.m. tonight.
