Michigan expects to report primary results late on March 10 because of changes in the law

[sunonmars]

Well this will be fun....

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/campaign-wire-election-2020/card/GK0l4Bes7pmArSRCbvXc?mod=e2twp

The results of Michigan’s March 10 presidential primary will likely be reported later in the evening than usual, due in part to changes which are expected to slow vote-counting, the state’s secretary of state said on Thursday.

The state’s constitution was amended in 2018 to make it easier to vote absentee and allow registration through the day of the election. While these changes are designed to make voting more convenient, they are also expected to increase the workload for election workers.

“It is important that all Michiganders, and in fact all Americans, know that results that come later in the evening do not suggest that errors or fraudulent activity have occurred,” said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who is a Democrat, in a statement on Thursday. “On the contrary, the later-than-usual results are evidence that clerks are working diligently to carry out the additional work on their plates in a way that is ethical and accurate.”

There has been an 80% increase in applications for absentee ballots compared to one week before Michigan’s 2016 primary, and more than 500,000 absentee ballots have already been cast, Ms. Benson’s office said.

One hurdle is that state law doesn’t allow election clerks to process absentee ballots prior to the day of the election, which is permitted in several other states, the office said. Ms. Benson has urged the state legislature to change the law.