Absentee ballots are counted on election day

submitted by Edward R. Golembiewski, Washtenaw County Chief Deputy Clerk / Register & Director of Elections

Because of increased fear around absentee ballots being counted, Washtenaw County Clerk/Register Lawrence Kestenbaum issued the following statement:

“Many people are worried that there will be a long delay until absentee ballot counts are released. This fear is groundless. Absentee ballots in Michigan are not put aside until later. They are counted at the same time as in-person ballots. The results will be reported at the same time. Legislation recently presented to the Governor will give clerks in larger communities an extra day (the day before the election) to work on absentees. In addition, communities large and small have acquired additional voting equipment and bolstered the number of poll workers hired to process the volume of absentees expected. Given these measures, I’m quite confident that almost every area will quickly have reports from absentee counting boards. If you were planning to vote by absentee ballot, there is no reason to change your plans over concerns about delayed processing. Your vote will be promptly counted and reported on Election Night.”

Unofficial election results reported by the Washtenaw County Clerk’s office after the polls close at 8:00 pm on November 3, 2020 will include results from in-person voting precincts as well as the results of Absent Voter Ballots received by the close of the polls. Results from Absent Voter Ballots submitted by 8:00 pm on Election Day will be reported as soon and as often as they are received until counting is complete.

Voters who have received an Absent Voter Ballot are encouraged to vote and return it to their Township Clerk without delay. Absent Voter Ballots may be returned in-person or deposited in an approved Absent Voter Ballot Dropbox location. It’s important that ballots are returned to the proper location. Voters can find their ballot delivery locations at Michigan.gov/Vote.

Absent Voter Ballots can be returned by mail to the address printed on the return envelope. Voters who will return their ballot by mail are encouraged to follow United States Postal Service recommendations to send it at least one week prior to the election.

To date, 134,664 voters in Washtenaw County have been issued an Absent Voter Ballot for the November 3, 2020 General Election. 26,567 have already returned their ballot. There are 310,806 voters currently registered in Washtenaw County.

Voters who would like to request an Absent Voter Ballot for the upcoming election or would like to track the status of their application or ballot can do so by visiting Michigan.gov/Vote. The deadline to request that a ballot be mailed to a voter lapses on October 30th; howeve,r voters are encouraged to make their request as soon as possible.

Voters may appear in-person at their Township Clerk’s office to obtain an Absent Voter Ballot now through November 2, 2020 at 4:00 pm.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.