Mail problems marred the delivery of absentee ballots in Michigan in the run-up to Tuesday’s primary in the state, testing election administrators and ramping up fears of political pressure on the U.S. Postal Service just three months before Nov. 3.
Across the state, where polls opened Tuesday at 7 a.m., some voters reported not receiving their absentee ballots with just days left before the vote for several congressional primaries, as well as state and local offices. Election officials advised those who had to submit their absentee ballots in person at election offices or dropboxes by 8 p.m. Tuesday, rather than risk delayed delivery by the Postal Service.
The difficulties in Michigan — one of five states holding primaries Tuesday and a crucial presidential battleground for the fall — offer a potential warning ahead of the general election, when millions more votersthan in past yearsare expected to vote absentee to avoid possible exposure to the novel coronavirus at in-person polling locations.