Early voting starts on Oct. 26 in Michigan, making it the final battleground where it will commence.
State law dictates that it must begin nine days before Election Day, which this year is Nov. 5.
Municipalities, however, can start early voting almost a month prior to Election Day.
Three municipalities—Detroit, East Lansing, and Canton Township—have already initiated early voting. It began Oct. 19 in the Motor City and Oct. 21 in the two other jurisdictions, according to the Michigan Department of State.
Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned in Detroit on Oct. 19 in conjunction with that milestone.
“We are going to break some records here in Detroit today,” Harris told the crowd.
Former President Donald Trump was in Detroit the day before for a rally, just over a week after addressing the Detroit Economic Club.
“You gotta get out and vote,” Trump told the audience on Oct. 18.
Setting Records
According to the Department of State, a record was set when more than 2,500 Detroiters came out during the initial weekend of early voting. That’s just a fraction of the more than 1.15 million Michigan voters who had voted as of Oct. 22, most of them through absentee ballots.
But setting records isn’t that surprising given how new early in-person voting is in the state. It was established in 2022 through a ballot initiative, Michigan Proposal 2.
Other key states have also seen record turnout for early voting.
By the 10th day of early voting in Georgia, more than 2.1 million people had turned out in person to cast their ballots at sites across the state. That’s up from over 1.3 million at the same time in 2020.
Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks to the press before a campaign rally in Detroit, Mich., on Oct. 19, 2024. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
“We’re battled tested and ready, despite the critics,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a statement announcing the latest numbers.
More than 350,000 ballots were cast during the first day of in-person early voting in North Carolina, also setting a record. The numbers were 1.3 percent higher than on the first day of early voting in 2020.
High turnout has also marked the start of early voting in Wisconsin.
Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, speaks at the Detroit Economic Club in Detroit, Mich., on Oct. 10, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times
Meanwhile, according to data from the University of Florida Election Lab, as of Oct. 25, registered Republicans maintained a five-point lead over registered Democrats in battleground Nevada, fueled by significant GOP turnout for in-person early voting. Democrats lead in mail ballots there.
Election Lab data also show Republicans leading Democrats in Arizona.
Nathan Worcester
Author
Nathan Worcester covers national politics for The Epoch Times and has also focused on energy and the environment. Nathan has written about everything from fusion energy and ESG to national and international politics. He lives and works in Chicago. Nathan can be reached at [email protected].
