Michigan’s report card is nearly complete, as millions of voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s midterm elections that have huge implications for the state’s future.
While the full unofficial results are not expected to be available until Wednesday morning at the earliest, most are already in the table.
Michiganders have the opportunity to choose the governor, attorney general, secretary of state and all members of the Michigan Legislature. Proposals to amend Michigan’s constitution — mostly around abortion rights, but also about voting and term limits — also took center stage.
With a completely redrawn political map and one less congressional district, the battle for representation at the federal level is fierce and expensive.
Check back here Wednesday for an update on the total number of games played up and down the ballot.
Michigan Election Results 2022
Our 2022 election coverage
What are the risks?
The gubernatorial race and whether to amend Michigan’s constitution to include abortion rights have attracted widespread attention. Polls show a Democratic incumbent governor. Gretchen Whitmer has generally fared better than Republican challenger Tudor Dixon, but the Norton Shores businesswoman still has a path for Whitmer to become a one-term governor.
Proposition 3, the Abortion Amendment, also performed well in polls ahead of Election Day, but opponents spent more than $16 million, arguing the measure was too extreme and too confusing to be included in the state constitution.
Voters also chose the secretary of state and attorney general. Detroit Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson faces off against Republican challenger Christina Carramore, with Republican attorney general candidate Matthew DePernault challenging Democratic incumbent Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Control of the Michigan legislature and a range of local races, from county-level events to school board games, are also up for grabs.
When will we know the Michigan election result?
Official final results are due within weeks after county and state canvassing committees confirm the statistics. But unofficial results could be in smaller cities as early as Tuesday night. In places like Detroit and Grand Rapids, though, experts don’t expect final, unofficial results until sometime Wednesday.
This is partly due to the fact that more than 2 million people voted by absentee ballot. Michigan law states that clerks cannot begin counting these ballots until Election Day — a process that is more arduous and therefore takes more time than counting votes in person on Election Day. It also has the opportunity to create what some call a “red mirage,” or a situation where Republicans appear to be doing well after their ballots are counted on Election Day, only to lose substantial support because absentee ballots are counted in the total.
tomorrow:Michigan election could see ‘red mirage’, early returns show Republicans ahead
tomorrow:Michigan Election Day 2022 Live Updates
While clerks across the state and across the country are warning and being patient about these foreseeable problems, in 2020, when former President Donald Trump and many others accuse mass election fraud without providing credible evidence , similar calls were ignored.
Contact Dave Boucher at dboucher@freepress.com or 313-938-4591. Follow him on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.