The November general election is 169-days away, but your Secretary of State promises that if you are a registered voter in Michigan, you will receive an application to vote by mail in both that election and in the August primaries as well.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson made that announcement this morning, saying, “By mailing applications, we have ensured that no Michigander has to choose between their health and their right to vote.” Benson adds, “Voting by mail is easy, convenient, safe, and secure, and every voter in Michigan has the right to do it.”
Of the 7.7 million registered voters in the state, about 1.3 million are on the permanent absent voter list, and their local election clerk already mails them applications ahead of every election. Additionally, some jurisdictions are mailing applications to all local registered voters. The Michigan Department of State’s Bureau of Elections has ensured all remaining registered voters receive an application.
Secretary Benson says, “We appreciate that some clerks are proactively protecting public health by mailing applications to all their registered voters, and we are fulfilling our responsibility to provide all voters equal access,” adding, “We know from the elections that took place this month that during the pandemic Michiganders want to safely vote.”
Record-breaking turnout was recorded in the approximately 50 elections held across 33 counties on May 5th, with nearly 25-percent of eligible voters casting ballots and 99-percent of them doing so by mail or in a drop box. From 2010 to 2019, average turnout in local elections in May was 12-percent.
The application mailing from the Bureau of Elections includes a cover letter with instructions from Secretary Benson. Once a voter signs their application, they can mail it or email a photo of it to their local clerk, whose contact information is included on the application. The application is also available for download at this link: http://Michigan.gov/Vote. At the same website, voters can also register and join the permanent absent voter list so they always have the option to vote by mail.
Benson says, “The vast majority of voters across the political spectrum want the option to vote by mail,” and concludes, “Mailing applications to all registered voters is one of the ways that we are ensuring Michigan’s elections will continue to be safe, accurate and secure.”
