ABSENT VOTER BALLOT

Michigan officials are encouraging voters to return their absentee ballots in person for the 2021 General Election as soon as possible.

The legal blows began when a federal appeals court rejected an effort to block about 9,300 mail-in ballots that arrived after Election Day in Pennsylvania. A Philadelphia judge found none as he refused late Friday to reject about 8,300 mail-in ballots there. Porter Wright filed the motion Thursday, as criticism grew that law firms backing the Republican election challenges were helping Trump defy the will of the American people. Porter Wright, which has earned more than $700,000 from the Trump campaign, appeared to take down its Twitter feed Tuesday after it was inundated with attacks. The firm did not reply to specific questions about the posts or whether it would stop representing the Trump campaign entirely.

Voting in the 2020 U.S. presidential election is already underway in Michigan with early in-person voting and absentee voting. All Michigan voters are eligible to vote using an absent voter ballot. You can apply to receive an absent voter ballot on the state’s website right here. Michigan voters registered to vote at their current address can request an absentee ballot in person at their local clerk’s office anytime up to 4 p.m. on the day before Election Day -- which is November 2. Once completed, your absentee ballot must be returned to your local clerk’s office no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 3.

According to the data, mail delivery in the Detroit region was about 15% slower than the national average during the first week of October, ranking the city at 67 out of 67 USPS regions. Mail delivery throughout the rest of Michigan was 0.5% slower than the national average. The national average mail delivery time has also dropped from 91% of on-time delivery to 86%. DeJoy has since rescinded several of those changes and has repeatedly attempted to reassure Americans that their completed absentee ballots will arrive on time. The recent mail delivery data has also raised alarms after a federal court of appeals overturned a ruling meant to combat mail delivery delays in Michigan.

Filling out your Michigan absent voter ballotIt’s important to be cautious and follow directions precisely when filling out a Michigan absent voter ballot to ensure it is counted on Election Day. Inside of your official Michigan absent voter ballot envelope is a brightly-colored “secrecy sleeve” containing your ballot. Packaging your absent voter ballot once it’s completedOnce you’ve filled out your Michigan absent voter ballot for the 2020 General Election, place it inside of the brightly-colored secrecy sleeve that it was initially presented in. To return your absent voter ballot on time, you have two options:Return your absent voter ballot in personYou can return your completed absent voter ballot by delivering it to your local clerk’s office before the 8 p.m. deadline on November 3. Return your absent voter ballot by mailYou can also return your completed absent voter ballot by mailing it to your local clerk’s office -- though this option is not recommended as the deadline to return your ballot approaches.

Once you’re officially registered to vote in Michigan, you will be assigned a physical polling location at which you can vote on Election Day. How to request an absent voter ballot in Michigan for the 2020 General ElectionIf you’re registered to vote and hoping to vote absentee in Michigan for the 2020 General Election but have not yet requested an absent voter ballot, don’t worry -- you still have time. Michigan also allows same-day voter registration -- meaning you can register to vote on Election Day. Absent voter ballots will be mailed out to Michigan voters as early as 40 days before Election Day, which is September 24 for the 2020 General Election. Learn more about voting by mail in Michigan for the 2020 General Election here.

When Benson announced the mass mailing, she was criticized by President Donald Trump, who wrongly stated that she was sending absentee ballots, not applications. The previous record for absent voter ballots cast in a Michigan election was 1.3 million in the 2016 Presidential Election. Already, about 2.3 million absentee ballots have been requested for the fall election, which Benson said puts Michigan on track to receive more than 3 million that are completed. Of the 7.7 million registered voters in Michigan, about 5 million are expected to participate in the upcoming election, officials said in August. About 10,000 absent voter ballots were rejected in Michigan’s Primary Election in August.

While absent voter ballots provide a safe alternative to voting in person at the polls on Election Day, the process of counting absent voter ballots can determine how quickly, or not, final election results are announced. Processing absent voter ballots in MichiganThe process for counting absent voter ballots is different in each state. In Michigan, election workers are not allowed to begin processing absent voter ballots until 7 a.m. on Election Day. The previous record for absent voter ballots cast in a Michigan election was 1.3 million in the 2016 Presidential Election. Polling precincts will still be open for Michigan voters from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Most Michigan residents who are at least 18 years of age are eligible to register to vote and to vote. Michigan residents have the option to register to vote on the day of an election -- which, in this case, is Nov. 3. Once you’re officially registered to vote in Michigan, you will be assigned a physical polling location at which you can vote on Election Day. How to request an absent voter ballot in Michigan for the 2020 General ElectionIf you’re registered to vote and hoping to vote absentee in Michigan for the 2020 General Election but have not yet requested an absent voter ballot, don’t worry -- you still have time. Absent voter ballots will be mailed out to Michigan voters as early as 40 days before Election Day, which is September 24 for the 2020 General Election.

The state of Michigan mailed absentee voting applications to all registered Michigan voters in May for this years August and November elections. Michigan voters who have already requested an absent voter ballot for the November election can begin receiving their ballot up to 40 days prior to Election Day -- which is September 24. If youre hoping to vote absentee in Michigan for the 2020 General Election but have not yet requested an absent voter ballot, dont worry -- you still have time. You can apply to receive an absent voter ballot on the states website right here. To check on the status of an absent voter ballot application, registered Michigan voters are encouraged to contact their city or township clerks office directly.

The state of Michigan mailed absentee voting applications to all registered Michigan voters in May for this years August and November elections. Filling out a Michigan absent voter ballot for the 2020 General ElectionOnce you receive your absent voter ballot in the mail, it simply needs to be filled out following the written instructions attached and returned before the deadline. Inside of your official Michigan absent voter ballot envelope is a brightly-colored secrecy sleeve containing your ballot. Returning your completed Michigan absent voter ballotCompleted absent voter ballots for the 2020 General Election must be received by your local clerks office by 8 p.m. on November 3. Packaging your absent voter ballot once its completedOnce youve filled out your Michigan absent voter ballot for the 2020 General Election, place it inside of the brightly-colored secrecy sleeve that it was initially presented in.

According to Benson, just over 2.5 million Michigan voters participated in Tuesdays primary election, surpassing the states previous record of 2.2 million in the Aug. 2018 Primary Election. The previous record for absentee ballots casted in a Michigan election was 1.3 million in the 2016 Presidential Election. The increase in absentee voting in Michigan is partially due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but is also due to new voting rights. Voter participation in the May election had already surpassed participation in previous May elections before election day even arrived. Many Michigan ballots were delivered to local clerks offices after election day, though they were postmarked prior to election day.

DETROIT Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey will hold a news briefing at 11 a.m. Thursday to discuss election reparations, absentee voting and safety protocols for voting in person for the Michigan Primary Election on Aug. 4. This live stream has ended. In-person voting will still be available for the 2020 Michigan Primary Election on Aug. 4 amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic -- however, all Michigan voters now have the option to vote by mail with an absentee ballot. Officials are encouraging Michigan voters to return absentee ballots in person instead of by mail as election day approaches.

LANSING, Mich. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said Wednesday that voters are encouraged to drop off their absent voter ballots in person as the Michigan Primary Election approaches on Aug. 4. As of 2018 Michigan voters now have the option to vote by mail for no reason using absentee ballots -- and a significant number of Michigan voters are choosing to do so amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. READ: Voting by mail in Aug. 4 Michigan Primary Election: What to knowAs the Aug. 4 election approaches, officials say it is a good idea to return Michigan absentee ballots in person rather than by mail. If you have not yet mailed in your completed Michigan Primary Election absentee ballot, you are encouraged to deliver it to your local clerks office on or before Aug. 4. In-person voting will still be available for the 2020 Michigan Primary Election on Aug. 4, even amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Applying for a Michigan absentee ballotAll registered Michigan voters now have the option to vote by mail using absent voter ballots. Those who applied to receive an absentee ballot for the Michigan primary should have already received it in the mail. Filling out an absentee ballot for the 2020 Michigan Primary ElectionIts important to be cautious and follow directions exactly when filling out a Michigan absentee ballot in order for it to be counted on election day. Inside of your official Michigan absent voter ballot envelope is a brightly-colored secrecy sleeve containing your absentee ballot. Note: In-person voting will still be available for the 2020 Michigan Primary Election on Aug. 4, even amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.