Benson: Too late to rely on United States Postal Service for absentee ballots
More than 2 million citizens have already cast ballots
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said voters should not rely on the United States Postal Service to deliver absentee ballots within one week of Election Day, Nov. 3.
“We are too close to Election Day, and the right to vote is too important, to rely on the Postal Service to deliver absentee ballots on time,” said Benson. “Citizens who already have an absentee ballot should sign the back of the envelope and hand-deliver it to their city or township clerk’s office or ballot drop box as soon as possible. Voters who haven’t yet received their ballot should go to their clerk’s office to request it in person. They can fill it out, sign the envelope and submit it all in one trip.”
Voters can find the locations of their clerk offices and ballot drop boxes at Michigan.gov/Vote. They can also track their ballot to ensure it is received by their clerk. If a voter sees their ballot is not received, they should contact their clerk’s office immediately.
Absentee ballots will be available at clerk offices for registered voters until 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2. Unregistered voters can register at their clerk office and then vote an absentee ballot there through 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3.
Absentee ballots must be received by the voter’s city or township clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3 to be counted. Voters may ask immediate family or a member of their household to deliver their ballot for them. With only a week before ballots are due, the Postal Service should be considered a last resort.
Already in Michigan more than 3.1 million citizens have requested absentee ballots and more than 2 million citizens have voted and returned them. A breakdown of absentee ballot data by jurisdiction is available here.
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