President Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen make a joint statement

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris introduced the individuals nominated and appointed to their climate and energy team at an event on Saturday, Dec. 19. On Tuesday, a report from CNN indicated that Biden would nominate former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm to lead the U.S. Department of Energy. Progressives, energy lobbyists, environmental groups and auto workers welcomed Biden’s choice of popular former Mayor Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary. Jennifer Granholm for energy secretary and former Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy as leader of domestic climate efforts also were met with general applause. Biden is also tapping environmental lawyer and Obama administration official Brenda Mallory to run the Council on Environmental Quality, the president-elect announced Thursday.

Voting in the 2020 U.S. presidential election is already underway in Michigan with early in-person voting and absentee voting. All Michigan voters are eligible to vote using an absent voter ballot. You can apply to receive an absent voter ballot on the state’s website right here. Michigan voters registered to vote at their current address can request an absentee ballot in person at their local clerk’s office anytime up to 4 p.m. on the day before Election Day -- which is November 2. Once completed, your absentee ballot must be returned to your local clerk’s office no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 3.

Filling out your Michigan absent voter ballotIt’s important to be cautious and follow directions precisely when filling out a Michigan absent voter ballot to ensure it is counted on Election Day. Inside of your official Michigan absent voter ballot envelope is a brightly-colored “secrecy sleeve” containing your ballot. Packaging your absent voter ballot once it’s completedOnce you’ve filled out your Michigan absent voter ballot for the 2020 General Election, place it inside of the brightly-colored secrecy sleeve that it was initially presented in. To return your absent voter ballot on time, you have two options:Return your absent voter ballot in personYou can return your completed absent voter ballot by delivering it to your local clerk’s office before the 8 p.m. deadline on November 3. Return your absent voter ballot by mailYou can also return your completed absent voter ballot by mailing it to your local clerk’s office -- though this option is not recommended as the deadline to return your ballot approaches.