1.1 million Michigan votes already cast week before midterm election
LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - With a week remaining before the midterm elections, more than a million Michigan citizens have already cast a ballot.
The secretary of state says nearly 2 million absentee ballots have been requested and 1.1 million have been returned to polls. The agency said it's a 73% increase in the number of absentee ballots that were requested at the same time in 2018.
The dramatic uptick in absentee ballots from four years ago would make sense since a proposal during the previous midterm that was approved by voters allowed for citizens to request a ballot without a reason.
Wayne County and Oakland County have returned the largest share of ballots, with 169,560 and 167,856 ballots coming in respectively. Macomb County has returned 97,966 absentee ballots and 50,211 ballots from Washtenaw County.
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The large number of absentee ballots are expected to delay the final results of the Michigan election. To avoid any confusion ahead of the election, check FOX 2's voting guide here.
Election day is Nov. 8 and ballots can be returned until 8 p.m. when the polls close. Registered voters can also request, fill out, and submit an absentee ballot in one visit up until Nov. 7 at 4 p.m. at the local clerk's office.