Michigan lawmakers agree on early absentee ballot processing

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan election officials could begin processing absentee ballots two days before the Nov. 8 election under an agreement lawmakers reached Wednesday in hopes of avoiding delays in counting, with absentee voting expected to remain a popular option.

Michigan is one of several key swing states that allows no-excuse mail-in ballots but doesn't allow local election offices to begin processing ballots until 7 a.m. on Election Day, which often delays results in tight races and can leave a gaping hole for misinformation and lies to flood the public space.

Ann Bollin, House Elections and Ethics Committee chair, announced the agreement on election bills after months of negotiations. The bills are expected to pass the Republican-controlled Legislature on Wednesday and go to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat.

Election offices in municipalities with populations of at least 10,000 would be allowed to remove absentee ballots from their outer envelopes on the Sunday before the election, but they still wouldn't be allowed to remove secrecy sleeves or count votes until 7 a.m. on Election Day.

The package would also increase ballot drop box security and require county clerks to remove deceased voters from voter rolls monthly.

A 2018 voter-approved constitutional amendment allowed for no-excuse absentee voting, and a surge in such voting followed. A record-breaking 3.3 million people in Michigan voted absentee in the 2020 presidential election during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Over half of all votes cast in the August primary were absentee.

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