Michigan clerks prepare for Tuesday’s election: More absentee voting than ever
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.
Complaint flushed: No charge in Michigan toilet election display
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.