Michigan Rejects More Than 10,000 Absentee Ballots, Including Some From Voters Who Died

More than 10,000 absentee ballots were rejected in Michigan’s Aug. 4th primary, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office said Friday.

At least 6,400 ballots were turned away because they arrived after Election Day, while 787 were tossed out because the signature did not match the registration, according to Benson’s office. Another 1,111 were rejected because the voter had moved, and 846 were not accepted because voters died “after casting their absentee ballot but before Election Day.”

“The data demonstrates that thousands of people who cast otherwise valid votes were not able to participate in last week’s election solely because the Legislature failed to act ahead of the primary,” said Benson. “With turnout and absentee ballot numbers expected to double or even triple in November, we could be looking at tens of thousands of Michigan citizens disenfranchised if the legislature fails to act.”

The news comes right after the U.S Postal Service warned Benson in a letter that mail delivery times posed a “significant risk” to ballots sent too close to the election which could lead to their disqualification, according to The Detroit News.

USPS General Counsel Thomas J. Marshall wrote to Benson that Michigan election laws were “incompatible” with the Postal Service’s delivery standards.

“This mismatch creates a risk that ballots requested near the deadline under state law will not be returned by mail in time to be countered under your laws as...

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