Local officials bracing for an influx of absentee voters are urging Michigan lawmakers to give clerks more time to process mail-in ballots and avoid logjams that could delay election night reporting results.
But a top lawmaker in Michigan’s Republican-led Legislature is opposing calls to allow early processing, arguing the state must focus on security rather than speed, even if it means full results are not reported until the day after an election.
The issue is heating up because Michigan voters last fall approved a new no-reason absentee voting law that no longer requires a valid excuse to cast a ballot by mail.