LANSING, Mich. – A judge on Friday cleared the way for more absentee ballots to be counted in Michigan, saying envelopes postmarked by the eve of the Nov. 3 election are eligible, even if they show up days later.
The decision is significant in a state that is anticipating waves of absentee ballots this fall; about 2.3 million have already been requested.
For absentee ballots to be counted, Michigan law requires them to be received by the time polls close on Election Day.
But Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens said there's a crucial need for flexibility in November, especially after more than 6,400 ballots were disqualified in the state's August primary election.
The state's top election official, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, also a Democrat, had been urging the Republican-controlled Legislature to allow the counting of absentee ballots that arrive two days after the election.