BEDFORD CHARTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Election officials in Bedford Township and Monroe County say absentee ballots are pouring in with still two weeks left before the 2020 Michigan primary election.
On Aug. 4 voters can show their support for the state and local leaders who they want to run in the general election on Nov. 3.
Click here to see what's on your ballot.
Trudy Hershberger, the Bedford Township clerk, is preparing for in-person voting with COVID-19 in mind.
"We have disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer. I purchased scanners for driver licenses that are touchless so residents coming through can scan their own driver's license rather than it going back and forth," Hershberger said.
There are 26,000 voters in Bedford Township.
Hershberger said that more people are opting to skip the polls this election. They've issued 5,777 absentee ballots and have almost 2500 back.
"Our normal primary election; the highest we've ever received is 2030 ballots so this is quite a large turnout for absentee this year," she said.
Hershberger isn't sure if that's because of the pandemic or if it's because the Michigan Secretary of State sent out applications to 1.6 million voters throughout the state.
Monroe County Clerk Sharon Lemasters is encouraging people to vote by mail.
"Every ballot that is mailed out and returned is logged in and we account for every single ballot so there's no risk if they choose to vote by mail and that would lessen the amount of people voting in person at the polls and lessen the risk of COVID," Lemasters said.
Despite Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's order that masks must be worn in public buildings, Lemasters said that no one will be denied the right to vote whether they wear a mask or not. But wearing masks is strongly encouraged to protect poll workers and other voters.
Voters may request an absent voter ballot by completing an online application at Michigan.gov/Vote.
Requests to have an absent voter ballot mailed to you must be received by your clerk no later than 5 p.m. the Friday before the election. If you request your AV ballot the day before the election or on Election Day, you must vote the ballot in the clerk's office.
After receiving your absent voter ballot, you have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to complete the ballot and return it to the clerk's office.
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