Secretary of State launches first-ever early voting pilot for November 2023 election

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson last week unveiled a pilot of early voting that began in several Michigan communities on Saturday.

The pilot is an opportunity for the Michigan Department of State, Bureau of Elections and participating clerks to test, assess, and review early voting technology and procedures in advance of the 2024 presidential elections, she said.

“I am grateful to the dedicated clerks who have stepped forward to voluntarily participate in our early voting pilot program,” Benson said. “This pilot will ensure that our processes and systems are field-tested as we prepare for statewide implementation of early voting in 2024. The more voters who know about this opportunity, the better we will be at assessing the success of this pilot and preparing for next year.”  

Last year, Michigan voters overwhelmingly passed Proposal 2 to enshrine expanded voting rights into the state constitution.

Among the new requirements, Michigan’s election administrators must offer at least nine days of early voting in their communities starting in 2024.

While there are no statewide elections this year, Benson said the local elections in several Michigan communities on November 7 are a valuable opportunity to test early voting.

Twelve counties and municipalities volunteered to run early voting sites.

Some sites will serve single municipal jurisdictions and others will serve multiple municipalities within a county.

Days and hours will vary depending on the jurisdiction, but many of the early voting sites opened on Saturday.

The purposes of the pilot are to test and assess procedures and technology, evaluate any additional needs for resources and funding, and give election workers experience administering the early voting process, according to Benson.

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