Michigan reports 670k residents have already voted absentee, including 41k in Detroit

Voting season begins Thursday in Michigan as absentee ballots are sent out

Believe it or not, on Thursday you can now vote for president of the United States.

(FOX 2) - More than 670,000 voters in Michigan have already cast their ballot for the presidential election, data from the state of Michigan shows.

According to the Michigan Secretary of State, the department has received more than 2.1 million applications to vote via absentee, which comes out to about 31% of voters returning their ballot.

With the election three weeks out, that's just under the percentage of voters who requested and returned a mail-in ballot in 2020. However, 2.8 million voters requested absentee ballots in 2020 - a trend likely created by the pandemic.

Since the 2020 election, Michigan has updated its election laws by expanding access to voters. In addition to day-of and mail-in voting, early voting is also available this year.

Clerks in metro Detroit have already predicted heavy turnout this presidential year. It's not a surprise for a state that is up for grabs in the presidential contest between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

In Detroit, more than 102,000 voters have requested ballots. As of Oct. 15, 41,000 have already had their votes cast.