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Benson expects Michigan's unofficial results to be reported by Wednesday night

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson asked people for patience as the state continues to tabulate votes.

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan's Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said in a Tuesday night press briefing that she expects a fuller picture of Michigan's election results to be known within 24 hours. 

Benson said there were 3.5 million absentee ballots requested and by 9:30 p.m. clerks had reported 3.26 million had been returned. Benson said that number could rise as ballots are still being counted. An estimated 2-2.5 million people voted in person. 

There are about 8 million registered voters in Michigan. 

"I expect we'll have a very clear picture, if not final picture of unofficial results for Michigan in the next 24 hours," Benson said. 

The state had warned that results could not be done until Friday, but Benson said that increasing the number of high-speed tabulators has increased their efficiency. 

"We recognize that there's a lot of eyes on Michigan tonight and there will be in the days that follow. Our clerks have really stepped up to provide data as soon as possible, but we're also focused on accuracy," Benson said. 

The secretary of state said they are expecting record turnout in this election, but they will know more in the hours to come as a final ballot count is reported. 

In Kent County, Clerk Lisa Posthumus Lyons said they saw more than triple the number of absentee ballots compared to 2016. There were over 211,000 absentee ballots in this election versus nearly 69,000 four years ago. 

Posthumus Lyons said results are expected Wednesday afternoon or evening. 

Grand Rapids City Clerk Joel Hondorp said there was a 66% voter turnout, with record turnout from absentee voters, with 55,000 ballots turned in. Hondorp said Grand Rapids should finish its count tomorrow, but warns that it could take days or weeks before the outcome of the national election is known.

“Our residents and our community have done our part together.  Now, it is important to know the post-election process and how to identify accurate, trustworthy information,” he said. “We recommend getting your information from sources you can trust like your state and local officials and verifying it with other reliable sources.” 

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