LANSING, MI - On Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 1 pm in a virtual press conference, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addressed voting in Michigan with Election Day around the corner.

Due to the dramatic increase of absentee voting in Michigan and the state law providing a limited time for clerks to prepare absentee ballots, Gov. Whitmer expects to see the election results take longer than previous years.

Whitmer says determining the election winners may take a few days depending on how close the election races are.

“Our local election clerks across the state will be working to get the counts right. And that's what really matters,” Whitmer said. “Our democracy is strong and the Michigan election will have an accurate reflection of the will of the people.”

Because the election is less than a week away, Whitmer encouraged those who have absentee ballots at home and have not yet voted, to submit their ballots in-person.

“A week until election day, voters who have absentee ballots at home should not rely on the postal service to get it in on time,” Whitmer said. “If you are one of these people that has an absentee ballot at home, please, hand-deliver it to your city or township clerk office or put it in one of the secure drop boxes we have around the city.”

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says even with a pandemic Michigan has seen a record breaking voter turnout this year. More than 3.25 million Michigan citizens have requested their absentee ballots. Of those numbers, 2.4 million absentee voters have already submitted their votes and returned their ballots.

"These extraordinary numbers are the reflections of not just a high extraordinary level of engagement in our state, but the work of over 15 hundred township and city clerks who have been tirelessly responding to these requests, validating everyone, ensuring ballots get to voters on time," Benson said.

Benson is confident with the support of the county clerks, they will successfully carry out this challenging and unique election.

"We believe and will ensure that this election will be conducted fairly and securely and accessibly for every citizen." Benson said.

Registered voters can request an absentee ballot and submit it until 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2. Unregistered voters can register, request and submit an absentee ballot until 8 pm on Election Day, Nov. 3.