The 2020 General Election is not only historic because voters are choosing a president, but because we’re doing it in a pandemic. And in Michigan, there are some new changes in effect that impacting the way people vote.
Lisa Barry spoke with Washtenaw County’s Director of Elections Ed Golembiewski about them and to find out how things are going at the polls.
According to Golembiewski, it has been a very peaceful day at the polls so far.
“I have not been made aware of any violence, any intimidation, or any thing that’s not normal, basically,” Golembiewski says.
He adds that there have been a few bumps along the way, like various city and township clerks calling them with questions, but that isn’t outside the normal course of a general election.
Golembiewski also says many Washtenaw County voters have chosen to vote absentee this election, with roughly 52 percent of the county’s registered voters choosing to do so this time around.
Golembiewski adds they’ve been seeing a very robust turnout at the polls today as well, and while it is too early for him to give exact figures, he is anticipating the county will see record levels of voter turnout.
He says the typical turnout in a presidential election year is usually around 66 percent of registered voters, but he suspects it could reach into the 70 percent range this time around.
Non-commercial, fact based reporting is made possible by your financial support. Make your donation to WEMU todayto keep your community NPR station thriving.
Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
— Lisa Barry is the host of All Things Considered on WEMU. You can contact Lisa at 734.487.3363, on Twitter @LisaWEMU, or email her at lbarryma@emich.edu
