Early voting begins in Metro Detroit

Voting centers across Michigan opened their doors on Saturday for a slow but steady stream of people to cast their ballots early for the presidential primary.

For the first time, Michigan residents everywhere can vote early from Feb. 17 to Feb. 25 ahead of the Feb. 27 primary.

Some places saw higher turnout than expected, elections site staff said. Others were still waiting for more voters to come by.

More:How voting in Michigan elections is changing

Approximately 90 Detroit residents voted early by 3 p.m., said Daniel Baxter, chief operating officer for absentee voting and special projects with the city of Detroit.

Turnout was looking light by Saturday afternoon, but Detroit administrators had not expected huge lines, Baxter said.

"Based upon past elections, we knew that typically the first day that we give individuals an opportunity to cast their ballots early is typically light," he said. "It doesn't really get heavy until closer to the election."

Saturday isn't Detroit's first go at early voting, per se, Baxter said, adding that the city of Detroit has previously allowed absentee voting at satellites throughout the city.

"I think that today was a great day," he said. "We'll probably get upwards of 100 plus people to vote at our early voting centers."

Spirits were high at the Sterling Heights Community Center, where 25 Sterling Heights and Utica residents cast their ballots within two hours of opening on Saturday morning, Sterling Heights City Clerk Melanie Ryska said.

The large turnout was unexpected but warmly welcomed, with small waves of voters trickling in, she said.

“I think people just want to, for this election, come out and experience what it’s like to early vote,” Ryska said. “Hopefully this catches on.”

Sterling Heights could open other early voting centers in the city by November if early voting traffic produces promising turnout in the next nine days, she said.

Sterling Heights officials mailed every registered voter they could find and launched a public campaign by word of mouth and social media to get the word out about early voting, Ryska said.

Dena Schwartz, of Sterling Heights, only found out early voting was an option on Saturday morning when she logged on to Facebook, she said.

Schwartz had never voted in a primary election before, but felt compelled to cast her ballot as soon as she could this year, she said.

“Growing up, it’s not that I never thought it wasn’t important,” Schwartz, 51, said. “But in the last election, it’s become much more apparent to me how important it is to come to vote every single time, including the primary.”

“I wanted to make sure, if I’m being honest, even more than having the opportunity to vote for my chosen candidate, to make sure that the candidate I don’t prefer does not get on the ballot,” she said.

Foot traffic was a bit slower at the Hazel Park Community Center, a hub for voters from Royal Oak Township, Ferndale and Hazel Park to vote early.

Only six people had stopped by the center to cast their ballots by noon, a site staff member told The News.

Hazel Park resident Ginger Wallace, 40, voted early at the center thanks to pure coincidence, she said.

Wallace had come to the center to drop her daughter off for ballet lessons when she saw the signs pointing to an early voting station area, she said.

“I’ve been listening to the radio, like NPR,” Wallace said. “They’ve been reporting about it forever, so it’s been on my mind that that’s coming. I don’t think I realized that it was today.”

Wallace and her whole family have plans to vote as early as they can, she said. Wallace said voting early took a weight off her shoulders from having to miss work just to vote on election day, February 27.

“I don’t want to see a certain someone back in office,” she said, without specifying further. “I’m doing my part to try and make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Close by at the Leo Mahany/Harold Meininger Royal Oak Senior Center, site staff said they felt more optimistic about the turnout they’d seen by noon.

“I think it’s a little busier than last time, but not much,” said Tricia Graziano, chairperson for the elections board in Royal Oak. “I thought it would be busier, to be honest, but it is only a primary.”

Approximately 18 people had stopped by to cast an early ballot as of noon, including mostly voters ages 40 and up, Graziano said.

Kathy Henderson, of Royal Oak, was eager to cast her vote as quickly as she could after hearing about the option on TV, she said.

“I didn’t want to miss the opportunity,” Henderson, 67, said. “I’ll be working on election day, so I want to make sure so you can get your voice heard.”