(WXYZ) — More than 1.2 million Michiganders cast their ballot through early voting for the 2024 general election, according to the state's voter dashboard.
On Sunday, 189,442 people cast their ballot, according to the dashboard. That's the highest daily total in the state. The previous high was the day before with 145,955 people voting.
Watch an update from Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in the video below
After voters passed a slew of voting rights changes in Michigan in 2022, the state allowed early in-person voting. Communities in Michigan had to allow at least nine days of early voting for at least eight hours a day, starting the second Saturday before an election and ending the Sunday before.
In all, 1,214,444 people cast an early in-person vote in Michigan for the 2024 general election. According to the SOS, 2,405,428 people have requested absentee ballots. Of those, 1,981,594 have been returned.
Although early voting ended Sunday, the city’s elections office has been buzzing all afternoon with people coming in to register or request absentee ballots
"I know it was going to be hectic tomorrow, so I just was like let me get out here," said Makiya Willingham of Detroit.
Detroiters like Willingham filed into the city’s elections office ready to make a difference.
"I just feel like everybody should have a voice," said Willingham.
Lee Austin, who has been voting since he was a teenager, is now encouraging younger generations to use their voice too, bringing his granddaughter to the polls.
"My mama, when I went into the service, she taught me — get you an absentee ballot, make sure you vote, so I’ve been voting since I was 19," said Austin.
Last week, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson held a press conference after the first weekend of early voting, calling it a "huge success" and thanking poll workers.
During the 2024 presidential primary in Michigan, around 79,000 people cast an early in-person vote, and in the August primary, it was around 73,000.
Related Video: This is how ballots are counted on election night
State numbers show that 3,196,038 people have cast their votes by absentee or early voting, totaling about 44% of the active registered voter turnout.
That is calculated by the percentage of active registered voters who cast an early voting ballot or returned an absentee ballot. There are 7,274,257 people with an "active" status in the Qualified Voter File.
People who are not registered to vote can still register in person at their clerk's office through election day and cast a ballot.
Those who have an absentee ballot but have not yet returned it are urged to return it in person at their local clerk's office or at an official ballot drop box in their jurisdiction.
