Over 10,000 ballots mailed in to election officials in Michigan will not be counted, primarily because they arrived late.
Of the approximately 10,600 rejected absentee ballots, 6,405 were because they arrived late, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, announced Friday.
Another 1,438 ballots lacked a signature, while 787 had signatures that did not match.
Over 1,100 people had moved, invalidating their attempt to vote. And 846 ballots were from people who died after voting.
The dozens of remaining ballots had additional issues, including unconfirmed identification.
Benson said many of the issues could be fixed by bills already introduced in the state legislature, including House Bill 5987, which would allow mailed ballots to count if theyre postmarked by election day, even if they arrive up to two days later.
“The data demonstrates that thousands of people who cast otherwise valid votes were not able to participate in last weeks election solely because the Legislature failed to act ahead of the primary,” Benson said in a statement. “With turnout and absentee ballot numbers expected to double or even triple in November, we could be looking at tens of thousands of Michigan citizens disenfranchised if the legislature again fails to act.”
More late ballots may arrive in the following weeks, she added.
Benson in May announced her office would send all state residents absentee ballot applications, drawing criticism from Republican President Donald Trump.
Nearly two million Michigan residents requested absentee ballots (pdf) for the primary; 1.6 million returned them.
Results from the primary werent finalized until the day after the election.
Bensons office is sending out postcards to 4.4 million voters informing them “of their right to vote from home” in November, she said this week.
The number of people using vote-by-mail could double or even triple for the presidential election, state officials said.
Michigans Bureau of Elections is allocating $5.5 million to ramp up mail-in voting, including $2 million that will reimburse local governments that pay postage on ballot return envelopes.
“This comprehensive investment—including our mailing of information to voters on how to request to vote by mail, Read More From Source
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