Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said Tuesday the state will likely see two-thirds of all its ballots cast before Election Day due to the coronavirus pandemic, Detroit Free Press reports.
Benson said during a press conference that nearly every voter to request a mail-in ballot has now received one, with 1.5 million Michigan voters having already sent in their completed ballot.
"These numbers also underscore that citizens are confident in the integrity of our vote by mail system, our early voting system, our drop boxes ... they are taking advantage of their options to vote, despite unprecedented levels of misinformation that they are receiving and that we are hearing all over the country," she said.
"I believe that this is really a hopeful story. This is not a partisan story ... we see citizens on both sides of the aisle taking advantage of these opportunities," Benson added.
She noted the coronavirus pandemic and a 2018 law change expanding access to absentee ballots is responsible for the massive increase in early voting, and this will hopefully lead to shorter lines and less crowding at polling places on Election Day.
"We've also provided for every election worker PPE, masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, sneeze guards, social distancing protocols for precincts that require voting booths to be spaced out within six feet to comply with CDC guidelines," Benson said. "The bottom line from a health stand point, we are doing all that data and best practices indicate are needed to ensure safe access to the polls on Election Day."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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