(WXYZ) — In 2020, more than 2.6 million people chose to drop their ballot into a box rather than voting in person. This is a trend we'll likely see this election year, but election workers are still expecting a big turnout at the polls.
"We've got some heated primaries this year and I think that is going to attract a lot of people," Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown said.
Come August 2, Michiganders will see five Republican candidates on the ballot—Tudor Dixon, Ryan Kelley, Kevin Rinke, Garret Soldano, and Ralph Rebandt.
Some other candidates include former Detroit Police Chief James Craig who has been pushing a write-in campaign.
Whoever comes out on top, will face sitting Governor Gretchen Whitmer in the midterms.
Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown says since there are partisan primary races, Michigan voters can not split their ticket and can only vote in primaries for one party.
"You're going to see Democratic and Republican candidates in two different columns on your ballot but you just have to stick with one," Brown said.
Brown says a reminder about split ticket voting is included with every primary absentee ballot, but voters still make the mistake.
If you do fill out both sides and already mailed your ballot in, call your clerk to flag it as invalid, and have a new one sent.
With important races happening at local state and federal levels, Brown says you want to make sure your vote is counted.
"Every election is important. There are things on the ballot that affect your everyday life we have a lot of communities that have millage proposals and school districts and all sorts of things besides partisan races," Brown said.
The last day to request an absentee ballot is July 29. These requests must be turned into your local clerk's office by 8 p.m. on election day. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m..
