Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, recently announced that the pivotal swing state is not expecting to have the final results of the 2024 election tallied until the “end of the day” on Wednesday after Election Day.
During a Sunday appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” Benson was asked how quickly Michigan election officials expect to have the election results finalized. In response, Benson said, “In 2020, we had the results of our highest turnout election in Michigan history within 24 hours of the polls closing. The unofficial results were completed by 8 p.m. on Wednesday, so we’re tracking that again this year.”
The secretary of state explained that Michigan has “more options to process ballots” before Election Day in this year’s election, which is a significant change from the ballot-processing restrictions the state faced in 2020. As a result, Benson said, “I’m optimistic we could see results even sooner, but I would estimate end of the day on Wednesday as the best guess on how we’ll perform. But that said, we will always prioritize accuracy and security over efficiency.”
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Benson told CBS News that while the state understands that the American people will be eagerly anticipating the results of the upcoming election, state officials intend to ensure the ballot-counting process is “secure and accurate” before the results are shared with the public. “But that said, we understand people’s energy and excitement, and we’ll be working hard to ensure those results are ready as soon as possible,” the Democratic secretary of state said.
According to The Hill, over one million people have already voted in Michigan, while over two million residents requested absentee ballots.
The Post Millennial reported that both the Michigan Republican Party and the Republican National Committee have filed a lawsuit against Benson due to her election certification process for absentee ballots. The Michigan Republican Party and the Republican National Committee have argued that the information election workers currently need to verify the absentee ballots is “incomplete.”
According to The Hill, Benson has indicated that she will certify the results of the 2024 presidential election regardless of who wins.
