All registered Michigan voters will get a vote-by-mail application

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on Tuesday announced that all registered voters will get an application to cast their ballots by mail in the state's upcoming August and November 2020 elections.

"Of the 7.7 million registered voters in the state, about 1.3 million are on the permanent absent voter list, and their local election clerk mails them applications ahead of every election," her press release notes. "Additionally, some jurisdictions are mailing applications to all local registered voters. The Michigan Department of State’s Bureau of Elections has ensured all remaining registered voters receive an application."

The press release noted a voting surge during elections earlier this month: "Record-breaking turnout was recorded in the approximately 50 elections held across 33 counties on May 5, with nearly 25 percent of eligible voters casting ballots and 99 percent of them doing so by mail or in a drop box. From 2010 to 2019, average turnout in local elections in May was 12 percent."

Michigan could prove to be a battleground during the 2020 presidential election. While it had been solidly blue during presidential elections between 1992 and 2012, Donald Trump won the state in 2016.

“The vast majority of voters across the political spectrum want the option to vote by mail,” Benson said. “Mailing applications to all registered voters is one of the ways that we are ensuring Michigan’s elections will continue to be safe, accurate and secure.”