Lansing began mailing absentee ballots Thursday for the Nov. 3 election. City Clerk Chris Swope said the initial batch includes about 23,000 ballots.
At a Thursday news conference, Swope addressed questions about election security and how voters can return their ballots. The questions follow the U.S. Department of Justice’s decision to monitor polling sites in Lansing, East Lansing, Detroit and Hamtramck during Michigan’s August primary. The department said its staff were checking compliance with federal voting rights laws.
“There have been some questions raised, but, you know, we run safe, secure, and accurate elections,” Swope said. “I would say if you’re getting an absentee ballot, the best thing to do if you’re in town here is to use one of our drop boxes. We have 13 across the city of Lansing.”
Swope urged voters returning ballots by mail to allow at least two weeks for delivery. Completed absentee ballots must reach a voter’s local clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.
Lansing voters can also return their signed ballot envelopes to one of the city’s secure drop boxes through 8 p.m. Nov. 3. They should use a Lansing drop box rather than one in a neighboring city or township.
Voters can check their ballot status at Michigan.gov/Vote. Lansing’s election office says voters who have provided an email address or phone number can also receive ballot tracking messages.
Swope said voters’ choices remain private. Election workers verify the signature on a returned ballot envelope, then separate the ballot from the voter’s identifying information before counting it.