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Demand for absentee ballots continues to run high in the state.
Two weeks ahead of Election Day, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said Tuesday that more than 1.8 million absentee ballots have been requested. 771,967 absentee ballots have been submitted.
Locally, in Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga and Ontonagon Counties, 7,540 ballots have been requested, and 3,197 returned. Assuming voter turnout is roughly the same in this election as it was four years ago, that means that 33 percent of expected voters have requested ballots, and 14 percent have already voted.
Voters who currently have absentee ballots, and have not submitted them, should hand-deliver them to their municipal clerk’s office, or a drop box. With the election less than two weeks away, that’s safer than trusting the mail at this point.
All absentee ballot return envelopes must be signed by the voter with a signature matching the signature the clerk has with their voter registration. Ballots must be received by clerks by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.
Absentee ballots may still be picked up at your local clerk’s office, and you can still register to vote there, through election day. Online and mail registration has been closed.
