In-person early voting off to slow start across Michigan; here's how to do it

Participation in Michigan's new option for in-person early voting, so far, has been low across the state.

How low? Just 18,317 voters cast early in-person ballots for the Feb. 27 presidential primary over the three-day holiday weekend.

That's nearly as low as the average attendance at home games this season for the NBA-worst Detroit Pistons.

Participation picked up Tuesday, rising to 28,394 across both peninsulas, according to the Secretary of State's office. But that still represents a fraction of 1% of all 8.2 million registered voters in Michigan.

"It's going slow," Westland Clerk Richard LeBlanc told The Detroit News.

"I did think that come this year, there would be more interest, more awareness, more participation. But it has not turned out that way," LeBlanc added.

LeBlanc chalked up the low early turnout partially to a lack of awareness by voters of the new option, and mostly to low voter enthusiasm for the 2024 presidential primaries, which incumbent Democratic President Joe Biden and former Republican President Donald Trump are each favored to win handily.

But there is still time to participate, as sites will remain open through Sunday.

In-person early voting began last Saturday. It is similar to casting a ballot on Election Day, though it offers more time and location flexibility. Unlike Election Day voting where each person has one assigned precinct, many Michiganians will have more than one location option.

But in some counties, such as Saginaw, Bay and Midland, there is just one early voting site.

Election Day for the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries is Feb. 27, though fractured Republicans will also hold competing caucuses in Grand Rapids and Detroit on March 2 to assign most of their party’s delegates.

This is the first time in-person early voting has been available since Michiganians approved it through a 2022 ballot measure.

More:Michigan voters have a new way to cast ballots before Feb. 27 primary

Working out the kinks

Anna Soik, the city clerk in Alpena, said in-person early voting could be a great option for voters who want to vote in person but dislike the crowds on Election Day.

Soik said her staff had a blind voter who cast a ballot Wednesday with the help of a voter assist terminal.

"I had never seen it used before. It actually gave me goosebumps seeing the whole process happen," Soik told The News. "All these years of me setting it up and never seeing anybody use it, it just really hit me in the feels today."

Soik said this particular voter had always voted absentee, but in-person early voting was a good option for him.

"Maybe the precinct was just too busy on Election Day for him and he needs a more quiet venue," she said. "... It was a great experience."

Justin Roebuck, the clerk for Ottawa County, said turnout for early voting is picking up at the county's four sites. But Roebuck said he appreciated the first few slower days as an opportunity to make sure things are running smoothly in a low-pressure environment.

"I mean, in one sense, it's great for us as election administrators to take a generally lower turnout election to just sort of iron out kinks, Roebuck said, "and to make sure we know the process well and have our training down, and make the adjustments we need."

Roebuck said he plans to adjust how he recruits and schedules shifts for election workers in future elections, noting that day-to-day staff continuity through the nine-day early voting period helps site management run more smoothly.

Soik and LeBlanc told The News they will consider bringing on fewer people to staff sites for future elections, given the low turnout so far in the presidential primary.

Here's a quick guide to early, in-person voting in Michigan:

Where and when can I go?

The Michigan Secretary of State has an online tool to help voters find an early voting location, based on the address associated with their voter registration. Most counties have more than one site available.

By law, early voting sites must be open for at least eight hours each day during the early voting period. At many locations, those hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, some sites will offer earlier or later hours on specific days to accommodate more voters.

There is no early, in-person voting on Monday. It ends Sunday, as specified by the new constitutional amendment.

More:Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signs bills putting early voting in Michigan law

I’m not registered to vote yet. Can I still vote early in person?

Michiganians who are not yet registered to vote may still cast an early ballot in person, but their location options are limited.

They must visit their local clerk’s office to complete their voter registration by showing proof of residency to cast a ballot. They can do both during the same visit.

Voter registration is not available at early voting sites.

How does this affect absentee voting?

In-person early voting does not impact the state’s existing absentee voting process. 

Voters may still request an absentee ballot up to 75 days before an election, fill out the ballot, and return it via one of several methods: By mail to their local clerk, in person to their local clerk or by dropping it in a secured absentee ballot drop box, which are mostly located outside of local government buildings.

Voters may also hand in absentee ballots at one of their approved early voting sites.

Absentee ballots must be received by a local clerk, submitted in person, or deposited in a drop box by 8 p.m. on Feb. 27, when polling precincts close to any voter who isn't already in line. Ballots not received by that time will not be counted.

As of Tuesday, municipal clerks across Michigan had received 747,534 returned absentee ballots from voters for presidential primary, according to the Secretary of State's office. That represents about 9% of registered voters in Michigan.

Do other states have similar early voting options?

All but three states have some kind of early voting option, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Michigan’s new style of in-person early voting is available in 22 other states.

Elections in Michigan, similar to the rest of the country, are administered at the local level by county and city or township officials. Election administration is overseen by the Michigan Secretary of State.

For more information on voting in Michigan or in your specific locality, visit the Secretary of State website or contact your local clerk’s office.

gschwab@detroitnews.com