Voting at polling precincts in Michigan begins Tuesday with some of the rules still being sorted out.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer says it’s now too late to use the mail -- and absentee ballots should be dropped off at clerks’ offices or designated boxes.
The Democratic governor was on CNN Sunday and again cautioned it will be days before all the votes are counted – including a record number of absentee ballots.
“We will continue to keep you posted. We will be very transparent, and give you regular updates, but we want to get this count right,” Whitmer said.
Whitmer pushed back against President Donald Trump’s efforts to call the results into question if the race is called later than Tuesday night—especially if Michigan’s results are as close this year as they were four years ago.
The Michigan Secretary of State says it could be Thursday or Friday before the counting is complete.
“The volume of votes that are coming in is like nothing we’ve ever seen before, and it is going to take time to count. And it’s more important that we get a count that is accurate than a count that is fast and might not be accurate,” Whitmer added.
Whitmer also said the state will assure voting places are safe – regardless of how the state Supreme Court rules on the open carry of firearms at the polls.
“We have plenty of laws on the books that make it illegal to intimidate a voter as they go in to cast this most important of acting in our democracy, and we take it very seriously and we’re going to make sure we keep people safe,” Whitmer explained.
Brandishing a gun in a threatening manner is also a state crime.
Whitmer’s office did not respond to requests for details on what she might do to ensure order and safety at the polls.
