Absentee ballots available for Aug. 2 Primary Election in Monroe County

Absentee ballots have gone out for the 2022 primary elections, giving voters the option to choose to vote from home or in person for the August 2 election.

All absentee ballots that arrive by Election Day will be counted, even if voters decide to bring it themselves.

“Absentee ballots did go out. There are still some going out as we speak,” said Monroe County Clerk Annamariee Osment.

Check your registration: Michigan Voter Information Center

More: Primary Election Guide: Everything you need to know about Monroe County's candidates

In the primaries, voters will choose a single candidate in each party to face each other in the November general election in almost every elected position from governor to members of the House of Representatives to county clerks.

If interested in voting by mail, absentee ballots are available through the county or through residents' city or township clerk.

Different jurisdictions count votes differently; some count absentee and in-person votes at once, and some do separately. Osment said Monroe County counts absentee and in-person ballots at the same time. How long it will take before the final results are announced will depend on turnout. If voter turnout in Monroe County is low, results will be announced quickly. If voter turnout is high, it could take well into the morning of August 3 before all votes are counted.

“I can only speak for Monroe County in the year-and-a-half that I have been working with the clerks. We have wonderful clerks that are very dedicated in ensuring that our elections are safe and there is definitely integrity in Monroe County,” Osment said. “They are good at keeping their voter rolls clean, updated as much as much as the Bureau of Elections allows. I don’t see any problems in Monroe, and citizens can rest assured that we can have safe and clean elections.”

Michigan’s electoral landscape has changed significantly since the 2020 election and the results of the constitutionally-mandated once-a-decade 2020 census. Governor Gretchen Whitmer is running for a second term and the Michigan State Legislature is still Republican controlled. But now that the power of redistricting has been moved from the partisan legislature to the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, voters will have to vote for completely different districts, which are intended to be fairer than the old districts.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe County clerk explains absentee ballot process