A relatively small number of people took advantage of early in-person voting for the primaries in Leelanau County, but it’s proven to be a hugely popular way to vote in the general election.
According to County Clerk Michelle Crocker, who administers the election, 1,300 people have already voted in-person as of Tuesday afternoon. And that number may greatly increase by Sunday, since the nine-day early in-person voting period wasn’t even halfway over at that point.
“We know that our people vote in Leelanau County, but we didn’t expect so many people to do early voting and it’s great they’re embracing it,” Crocker said Tuesday. “I’m really pleased to see the people out casting votes and see them doing early voting. We’re required to do this, and if they’re comfortable with it, why not?”
An amendment to the state constitution granting the right to vote early in every statewide and federal election was passed by voters in November 2022. Early in-person voting was first allowed in the presidential preference primaries in February and again in the Aug. 6 primaries.
However, only about 300 people from Leelanau County voted early and in person in February with over 7,615 total votes. In August, there were also 300 early in-person votes out of 9,190 total votes. Crocker said they exceeded those counts in the first day of early in-person voting alone, with over 400 voters casting their ballots at the government center in Suttons Bay Saturday.
There are 22,153 registered voters in Leelanau County as of Tuesday, according to the Secretary of State website. It remains to be seen how many registered voters will participate in this election, but it’s already clear that a much greater percentage of the county’s total vote will come from early in-person voting compared to the two elections earlier this year.
Crocker said that a constant stream of people had been coming to the government center to vote early, with only a few breaks in the flow of visitors. On at least one occasion, a line stretched outside in front of the building.
The turnout was so great that Crocker ordered more ballot stock so people could continue voting. Crocker explained that they are printing ballots on demand, and the paper stock was running low Monday afternoon.
“As it was dwindling down, I wanted to make sure that we could keep going smoothly. So, I asked the township clerks to bring over 100 of every ballot stock they had. I also got some more (paper) from Traverse City and the (Leelanau) Enterprise,” Crocker said.
Clerks from the county’s eleven townships have been assisting with early in-person voting at the government center, which is the only early voting site in the county. The government center will be closed Tuesday, so people will need to cast their votes at the local polling place at their precinct Election Day.
Some ballot stock from these locations were moved to the government center in Suttons Bay due to the unexpectedly high demand for early in-person voting, but they’ll be resupplied before Tuesday. Early voting will continue at the government center daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Sunday. No voting sites will be open Monday, the day before Election Day.
Early in-person voting appears to be popular throughout the state, as the Secretary of State reported Tuesday that almost 390,000 Michigan voters have cast a ballot at an in-person early voting site. Between early in-person voting and voting by mail or ballot drop box, two million people have already cast their ballot in the state, which represents nearly a quarter of Michigan’s registered voters.
More people in Leelanau County have also turned in their absentee voter ballots already. Crocker said that 9,393 voter ballots were distributed in the county and 7,160 were returned as of Tuesday afternoon. Crocker added that some people handdelivered their absentee ballots at the early voting site, but they have not counted how many votes were received this way yet. According to the Secretary of State, absentee ballots were made available 40 days before the general election.
