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Voter Turnout, Absentee Ballot Use Expected To Be Up In Washtenaw County

Bob Eccles

Tuesday is election day, and Washtenaw County officials are getting ready for higher-than-usual turnout. About 48 percent of eligible voters are expected to participate this year.

That's two percent more than the last mid-term election.

Washtenaw County Director of Elections Ed Golembiewski says they're also expecting more voters to use absentee ballots than ever before.

"This time we're probably looking at somewhere around 21, 22 percent of voters that participate in the election actually requesting an absentee ballot," Golembiewski says.  "That equates to about 29-thousand absentee ballots that will be issued this election."

Golembiewski says absentee ballots are becoming more popular for two big reasons:  more people are becoming aware of them, and ballots are getting longer and more complex.

Taylor Pinson is a former WEMU news reporter and engineer.
Taylor Pinson is a former WEMU news reporter and engineer.