Large numbers of mail-in ballots could slow vote counting

Michigan's secretary of state says a sharp increase in the number of people voting by mail because of the pandemic could slow vote counting in the August primary and November general election. Jocelyn Benson said Wednesday that nearly 2 million registered voters have requested a mail-in ballot for the Aug. 4 primary. Just over a million people cast ballots by mail in the 2016 general election. She says local election clerks are asking for more time to process what they expect will be a large influx of absentee ballots. Currently, clerks cannot begin counting absentee ballots until 7 a.m. on Election Day.