BARB BYRUM

Michigan will join nearly half of states in 2024 and allow in-person early voting thanks to Proposal 2 passing last November. For at least nine days until the Sunday before an election, voters will be able to walk into booths early and cast ballots. Location, location, locationSetting up early in-person voting on top of absentee and same-day voting will be a new logistical challenge. Early vote centers must be open for nine consecutive days. “This year, we would have been sunk with early voting,” Swope said.

Those challengers, affiliated with recount backer Election Integrity Force (EIF), the source said, were denied because the recount only covers the proposal votes. One challenger claimed officials were committing a crime and asked an attending Jackson County sheriff’s deputy to report the incident, Undersheriff Chris Simpson told MLive. That report will go to the Jackson County prosecutor’s office when complete. AG, SOS warn out-of-bounds challengersThe state department, whose Bureau of Elections oversees the recount statewide, alerted the Jackson County incident to Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office. Jackson County’s recount “went really well” overall, county elections director Jennifer Crews told MLive, and resulted in one ‘No’ vote added to Prop 3.

These images played out at voting locations on some Michigan public university campuses during the Nov. 8 general election, including the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Western Michigan University and Grand Valley State University. But did Gen Z students actually drive voter turnout in the November general election? Between the two sites, there were 1,465 same-day voter registrations, according to Ann Arbor City Clerk Jacqueline Beaudry. The rest of Washtenaw County saw only about 300 more same-day registrations, said Washtenaw County Clerk Lawrence Kestenbaum. Read more: Maps show how Washtenaw County voted on abortion, governor’s raceData shows the speculation that students drove the Democratic vote on Tuesday was true in Washtenaw County.

Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum told MLive that things ran smoothly in her jurisdiction on Aug. 2, but it could be smoother. She said there is room for lawmakers to add absentee (also called AV) ballot preprocessing, while also give more funding to train more election officials. At that time, the legislature allowed local clerks, though only for cities and townships with least 25,000 residents, to open the envelopes that absentee ballots came. Livingston County Clerk Elizabeth Hundley, a Republican, said her county of just under 200,000 people doesn’t have speed issues with AV ballot processing like larger counties do. And she called for clearer guidance for candidates filing campaign finance paperwork, so regulations are enforced uniformly county to county.

The supply chain and staffing shortages that have plagued the rest of the US economy have come to elections, putting a spotlight on the behind-the-scenes logistics of keeping democracy functioning.

Here are this morning's top stories.

Clerks are confused, frustrated and want to know why they’re being asked to do another review of the 2020 General Election.

Amid ongoing legal challenges to Michigan’s election results and a dramatic certification process in Michigan’s largest county, three county clerks spent more than three hours working to assure state lawmakers that from their standpoint, the Nov. 3 election was secure. “I cannot express how very unfortunate it is that the human error has called into question the integrity of Antrim County’s election process,” she said. She also recommended giving county clerks the authority to remove dead people from the qualified voter file. None of the lawsuits challenging Michigan’s election process have won a court battle yet. At Thursday’s hearing, Rep. Cynthia Johnson, D-Detroit, questioned the point of the hearings when the statewide election results are clear.

LANSING, Mich. – More than 2.6 million Michigan voters have turned in their absentee ballots and the state is still waiting on almost 700,000 absentee ballots that had been sent out and yet to be returned with only days before Tuesday’s election. Due to changes made in 2018 to voter laws and now growing public health concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, more Michigan residents are voting absentee than ever before. The previous record was set this year in the August primary at 1.6 million absentee ballots. Ingham County saw 30,684 absentee ballots cast in the 2016 election, County Clerk Barb Byrum said in a media call Thursday alongside Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope. “This is a pretty intense election, not that anything will happen on Election Day, but I wouldn't want to put myself in the position,” Briffin said.

MASON, Mich. – A prosecutor in Michigan has flushed a complaint about a toilet that was promoted as a place to drop absentee ballots. The election clerk in Ingham County informed police about a toilet on the front lawn of a home in Mason, near Lansing. A sign said, "Place mail in ballots here.”Barb Byrum, a Democrat, said it's a felony to take illegal possession of absentee ballots. Election officials fear that Trump's earlier claims about “mayhem” could cause anxiety among voters at a time when absentee ballots are being promoted to avoid coronavirus risks. About 2.4 million Michigan voters so far have asked for absentee ballots.

MASON, MI — Despite what the sign says, you should not flush your mail-in ballots down the toilet. The sign in a yard on West Columbia Street of the town near Lansing calls on voters to “Place mail in ballots here!” with an arrow pointing to a toilet. Related: Michigan Senate passes bill to allow absentee ballot processing to begin one day early“I know Michigan elections are safe and secure,” regardless of how a voter returns their ballot, Byrum said. Local clerks in the state will begin mailing out absentee ballots on Thursday. Michigan officials are preparing for record vote-in mailing during the coronavirus pandemic despite pressure from President Trump, who questions the security of mass absentee voting.

DETROIT (AP) Its not too late: Voters who used an absentee ballot for Michigans March 10 presidential primary election can change their preference and vote again. Absentee voting in Michigan is up substantially now that voters can cast an absentee ballot for any reason. As of Sunday, 453,193 absentee ballots were returned out of 812,278 issued, according to the secretary of states office. Maybe your candidate said something to change your mind.A voter can scratch their absentee ballot by submitting a written request to their local clerk. An absentee ballot may be thrown out in person at the clerks office until 4 p.m. next Monday.