Michigan election officials are bracing for some big challenges on November 3, and a final vote count may take several days.
Absentee ballots are pouring into local clerks’ offices in record numbers.
Under a new law, officials may open envelopes and pre-process those ballots on the Monday before the election.
However, Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope says the legislature also requires those open ballots and envelopes to be counted a second time on Tuesday, essentially erasing any potential head start.
Swope says he also expects many same-day voter registrations.
“And so on Election Day, we’re going to be adding to that pool of absentee ballots, and those are not ones that can be pre-processed at all on Monday,” says Swope.
Swope says given these and other factors such as staffing and equipment, it’s not unreasonable to expect a final vote count to take up to three days.
