Voters Stick to Pandemic-Era Habits, as Early Turnout Surges for Election Day
A screenshot of a Facebook live-stream of the Michigan primary election. (Courtesy: Facebook)
More than 30,000 votes were cast during the Michigan primary election this week, according to Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson. (Courtesy: Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson)
Michigan’s primary election turned out largely as expected, as voters stayed home to cast their ballots in time for what many observers see as a critical juncture in both the state’s and nation’s political history.
The first-in-the-nation election took place as voters sought to determine which party holds state-wide control in the race to replace outgoing GOP Gov. Rick Snyder.
A Democratic victory in the contest would mark the first time Democrats have controlled the governor’s mansion in Michigan since 1965.
Michigan Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer speaks during the Michigan Democratic Party state convention in Detroit on April 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
The final results will be determined early Friday morning at the state’s Board of State Canvassers.
The party’s central committee will vote in the evening to determine its nominees for the general election. The party must also choose its candidates for statewide office, including Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Bill Schuette.
The party plans to pick a standard-bearer to challenge Republican Gretchen Whitmer in November.
This is Michigan’s first primary election since 2016, when Democrat Hillary Clinton beat President Donald Trump by only a few thousand votes. Clinton also won the state, which Trump won by nearly 22 percentage points.
Though turnout was down from the average in recent primary elections, the number of votes cast was up significantly from the low turnout in 2008. This is a huge improvement over 2008, when the party only tallied about 8 percent of the state’s voters.
“Early turnout is certainly something to be encouraged and could be a sign of better days ahead for Michigan,” said political reporter Robert F. Bukaty, Jr., for Newsmax. “And it may indicate that those voters who stayed home will be more likely to return and vote in the months ahead.”
Despite early results showing that Michigan is on the path to electing a third