LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Updated numbers from Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office shows 305,109 less absentee ballots have been returned three weeks before the 2024 election, compared to the 977,654 returned during the same time period in 2020.

This year, 2.1 million voters requested absentee ballots which provides a stark contrast against 2.8 million requests in 2020.

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At the time, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had issued some of the strictest COVID-19 lockdowns in the country, keeping schools closed, preventing the sale of garden seeds, closing salons and barber shops, and prohibiting restaurants from operating at full capacity. The ramped up fear over the spread of COVID-19 introduced absentee ballot drop boxes statewide.

Voters can check the status of their absentee application or ballot online by clicking here.