Michigan election officials are bracing for some big challenges on November 3rd., while a final vote count may take several days.
Absentee ballots are pouring into local clerks’ offices in record numbers. Under a new law, officials may open envelopes and pre-process those ballots on the Monday before the election. However, Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope says the legislature also requires those open ballots and envelopes to be counted a second time on Tuesday, essentially erasing any potential head start. Swope says he also expects many same-day voter registrations.
“And so on Election Day, we’re going to be adding to that pool of absentee ballots, and those are not ones that can be pre-processed at all on Monday.”
Swope says given these and other factors such as staffing and equipment, it’s not unreasonable to expect a final vote count to take up to three days.
