LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — With the November 3rd General Election less than a month away, Governor Gretchen Whitmer is signing a bill to make the ballot counting process a little easier for some local clerks.
Senate Bill 757, signed during a press conference on Tuesday, will allow clerks in cities or townships with a population of at least 25,000 to begin prepping absentee ballots 10 hours prior to Election Day, as long as they give notice to the Secretary of State at least 20 days before November 3rd. Ballots cannot be tabulated until the polls open at 7 a.m. on Election Day.
The bill also allows clerks to reach out to voters if they see any problems with signatures on the absentee ballots. That means clerks must now notify voters if their ballot was not signed or if the signature does not match the election records and give them a chance to redo the ballot before it gets thrown out.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says this is a good start, but they would still like more time to process ballots.
“While it falls short of providing the relief clerks have asked for, Senate Bill 757 is a small step in the right direction to allow some clerks additional hours to open envelopes and prepare ballots to be tabulated on Election Day,” Benson stated.
At last reported on Tuesday over 2.7 million Michiganders have already requested absentee ballots, 2.6 million ballots have already been sent out in the mail, and 400,000 citizens have already voted.
Benson adds that despite this headstart in ballot processing, she still believes that it could be the Friday after the election until all votes have been tabulated and they can officially declare winners.
In a written statement, Governor Whitmer said, “We are anticipating historic turnouts in the November election, and we are committed to ensuring every Michigander can cast their vote safely, and that their votes are counted. Whether you mail in an absentee ballot, drop it off at your local clerk, or vote in person on election day, your vote will count on November 3rd. Michigan voters: request your ballot, fill it out, and drop it in the mail by October 19th or take it to your local clerk’s office. Your voice will be heard in November.”
The bill that the governor also hoped to sign during the press conference was Senate Bill 117, which would allow service members and their spouses to return their ballots electronically if they are unable to do it in person, but Whitmer says the Republican Legislature failed to send the bill to her desk.
More election information can be found at michigan.gov/vote.
