Michigan voters can now apply for an absentee ballot in advance of the November 8 general election.
Michigan has allowed no-reason absentee voting since 2018, and its popularity is growing.
State officials say about half of the more than 2 million people who participated in the August primary voted absentee.
Michigan Secretary of State spokesperson Angela Benander says voters have several options for obtaining an absentee ballot.
“They can vote from home by requesting to have a ballot mailed to them. They can do that in person at their local clerk’s office, or they can go online,” Benander said.
Unlike some states, Michigan does not allow absentee ballots to be pre-processed for faster counting on Election Day.
Benander says that can cause delays that those pushing an agenda may seek to exploit.
“That’s unfortunately a way that people who want to promote misinformation can take advantage of, when unfortunately, it’s simply a matter of needing the time to physically count and process the large number of absentee ballots,” she said.
Benander says her office is asking the Michigan legislature to approve absentee ballot pre-processing.
Absentee ballots requested by mail will be sent out at the end of September.