Michigan Voting Dashboard offers daily updates on the number of ballots cast in state

(FOX 2) - With the presidential election less than three weeks out, early voting and absentee voting are already underway in Michigan. 

To keep up with the voter's interest while catering to the needs of transparency, the Michigan Secretary of State has unveiled a new election dashboard that will provide "a look under the hood" as Canton Township Clerk Michael Siegrist put it on Wednesday.

"Ballot requests, ballot returns, early voting turnout, and voter registration statewide and at the county level and locally - anyone, anyone can do an independent diagnostic check on the entire election system," he said. "That's exciting."

Every day, the Michigan Voting Dashboard will provide updates from around the state with updated figures on the number of ballots requested and returned to clerks, as well as early voting figures that are broken down to the city or township level.

The data will come from local clerks who are the first officials to receive ballots from voters. From there, those numbers will be plugged into the Qualified Voter File, which is where the state website is getting ballot information. Combined, the tool offers both a macro and micro view of trends across the state. 

The state released absentee ballot numbers submitted for the 2024 general election for the first time this week, showing more than 670,000 residents had already mailed their in ballot.