Sick of Election Season? Michigan Should Get Results Faster Than Ever This Year

Since we live in a swing state, being a Michigander during election season can be exhausting.

Every day we swim through a sea of attack ads, our mailboxes are full to the brim with heaps of political mailers and, yes, even those annoying door-to-door solicitors trying to sway your vote (and piss off your dog.) Needless to say- by the time election day arrives we're all sick of it and ready to move on. But, let's be honest, we all know the hoopla doesn't end the second we finish casting our votes.

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There’s some good news for those ready to put the 2024 election behind them: thanks to a recent change in Michigan’s absentee ballot processing rules, we can expect election results much sooner than we did during the 2020 presidential election.

In 2020, Michigan voters were forced to wait days to find out the results of our election due to a delay in finalizing election results. This all happened because a state law said that absentee ballots could only be processed on Election Day, and not beforehand. This caused prolonged counting, and in a highly competitive state, the waiting game was nerve-wracking.

And even though SOS Benson got us some pretty awesome stickers (see below) that doesn't fix all of our election stress...

For this year's election, Michigan’s updated rule allows local clerks to begin processing absentee ballots up to 8 days before Election Day. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has assured voters that this change will likely speed up the reporting of results, meaning we’ll have a clearer picture sooner rather than later. (Except in Warren county, where they refused to count their ballots early.)

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What does this mean for Michiganders eager to move past election season stress? Fewer late nights refreshing the results, and hopefully, an end to election drama without the long wait. For many of us here in the Mitten state, this change couldn’t come soon enough—it’s one small relief for those tired of the constant visits from politicians who don't care about us but once every four years.

So, if you’re among the Michigan residents who’ve had it with the ads, the mailers, and the endless debates with people who barely know what they're voting for- know that this year’s election results may arrive just a little bit faster, thanks to an improvement that’s a win for voters across the state.