PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — As the 2022 gubernatorial election inches closer, county clerks are urging voters to get their absentee ballots in as soon as possible.
The Secretary of State's office says as of Tuesday, there have been 1,810,569 absentee ballots requested in the state of Michigan. So far, more than 771,000 ballots have been submitted.
"I went to cast my ballot early so I won’t have to fight that long line on Election Day," said Joe Payne, who lives in Pontiac. "It’s more easy for me because that way I ain’t got to get up early in the morning and stand in line for an hour or two hours."
The state says they're expecting around 50% of the total votes cast in the 2022 election will be via absentee voting.
"I think a whole lot more people that deserve to vote are going to be able to vote if they can do it this way," Mike Killian said as he dropped off his ballot at the Bloomfield Township office on Tuesday.
Killian says he has voted absentee in the last few elections out of convenience.
"It’s just easier for me, and my wife doesn’t get out. She uses a wheelchair and all that and it’s just easier for us, and we’re a little older too," Killian said.
Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown says with just two weeks to go, she's concerned not enough ballots have been returned yet.
"A lot of ballots have gone out, but 25% to 30% have been returned. We’re just about two weeks away. At this point, (we're) suggesting that people do not use the U.S. postal service, that they bring it to their local clerk's office if they have a dropbox in their local community," Brown said.
Brown says it's important to get ballots in as soon as possible. Once ballots are received by local townships and city clerks, they can begin pre-processing, which consists of validating signatures on the back of ballot envelopes and prepping them for the tabulator. She says it also allows mail-in ballots more time to get to their destination.
"We’ve had a huge increase in absentee votes and it really changes how our local clerks have to operate their offices on Election Day. And it does take time to do all the processes, all the steps in place to make sure that valid votes are being counted," Brown said.
Brown says she believes some absentee ballots may have been requested to be used as a sample ballot but those should be accessed at michigan.gov/vote instead.
Brown went on to say following misinformation in the 2020 election, there have been concerns about the security of elections, but the absentee voting method is a secure process. She recommends people call their local clerk if there is something happening that appears suspicious because it may be a part of the tabulation process that people are just unfamiliar with.
"Some of our communities don’t have absentee voting counting boards," Brown said. "We are tabulating for 18 of our communities at our combined counting board for the county. So those communities will be taking absentee ballots to their precinct and tabulating them there. So, if somebody sees someone walking into their precinct with a bunch of ballots and feeding them into the tabulator, don’t assume that’s fraud. Those are most likely ballots being delivered from the clerks office."
The Secretary of State's office says it's important to note that the postmark date on a mail-in ballot does not matter. The ballot must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day. If the ballot does not make it on time, it can not be counted.
Local clerks say people should plan to hand deliver their ballots now or vote in person on Election Day.