LIVE UPDATES
Michigan Midterm Elections Live Updates: Candidates make final pitches to voters
Here's what you need to know.
Election Day has nearly arrived.
Tuesday, Nov. 3 is one of the biggest election days for the state of Michigan in recent memory.
Michiganders will elect a new governor, secretary of state, attorney general and every seat is up for grabs in both chambers of the legislature.
Voters will also decide who will fill the state's open U.S. Senate seat, a contest that is among a handful of races nationally that will likely determine which party maintains control of the chamber for Republican President Donald Trump's final two years in office.
All 13 of Michigan's seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are also on the ballot.
Two statewide ballot questions will also be answered by voters.
Proposal 1 asks whether or not a constitutional convention should be called to revise and / or rewrite the state's constitution. Proposal 2 asks voters if there should be restrictions on political spending for certain utility companies.
In Michigan, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Not sure if you're registered to vote? Check here.
Michiganders can register to vote on Election Day. Simply go in person to your local clerk's office and ask to register before casting your ballot.
You can check out WCMU's voter guide for more information before heading to the polls to help you feel prepared.
If you see something worth reporting while you're at the polls — long lines, problems at your precinct, or news happening in your community — we want to hear about it.
Leave us a voicemail on our tip line: 989-774-NEWS.
Local clerks say election results won’t be immediate
Voters could be waiting for Tuesday's election results, despite a state law that allows absentee ballots to be processed earlier.
Absentee ballots can be put through a tabulator before Election Day, though vote totals aren't visible. Local clerks say the rules save time, but it also takes time to secure paper ballots and transport them from precincts to the clerk’s office.
Ann Meisch is Muskegon city clerk. She says the first step is to verify the ballot count.
“So if I gave a precinct 500 ballots, they have to tell me what they did with their 500 ballots," Meisch said. "If they get all done with all the math and there’s 499, we’re going to be there. We’re going to be there until we figure out what happened to the last ballot.”
Meisch said even when everything matches up, it can take hours for local workers to print reports, secure ballots, and get results to the county clerks' offices.
"We always treat everything like there might be a recount," she said. "We want everything to be sealed appropriately, in case it has to be opened later. We want that to be recountable. We want everybody to be able to look at what they did."
Results sometimes aren’t reported until early morning hours, even when all goes well,
Meisch said.
Over 2 million Michiganders voted early, SOS says
Over 2.3 million voters across Michigan have cast their ballots early. Around 1.5 million of those came in the form of absentee ballots.
That's according to data published Monday by the Secretary of State's office. They said just over 31% of registered voters in the state have already voted.
John James reacts to Stevens' surprise endorsement
Republican gubernatorial nominee John James is making his closing message to voters during the last full day of campaigning.
James greeted guests at a restaurant in Dewitt Monday morning before speaking to reporters.
He says Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens’ surprise endorsement of Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Rogers sets an example for voters.
“I think the closing message is inspired by my friend and colleague Haley Stevens: You don’t have to be a Republican to vote for change," James said. "Ultimately, this is a state that has been failed by Democrats for the past eight years, and Michiganders have the opportunity to change tracks.”
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson and Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed are set to appear together at a rally with the UAW in Detroit Monday evening.
El-Sayed will also hold a Get Out The Vote rally in Detroit with the rapper Common.
El-Sayed visits EMU in Senate campaign's final sprint
With only hours remaining in the campaign for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, a big crowd gathered Monday morning on the Eastern Michigan University campus.
Abdul El-Sayed and local Democrats rallied with students, many of whom later went out to canvas Ypsilanti neighborhoods. Haley Stevens’ name was not mentioned after she endorsed Republican Mike Rogers on Sunday.
Later, El-Sayed said any supporters nervous or angry about her decision should stay focused.
“I don't think much about my former opponent." El-Sayed said. "I think a lot more about whether or not these young people are gonna be able to afford the life that they're graduating into. Whether or they're ever gonna be able to afford a home, whether or that they can afford their gas and their groceries now. This is predominantly a commuter school.”
El-Sayed says he’s focusing on the needs of Michiganders and not what others have to say about him.
He told supporters not to back down and keep fighting for their rights and the rights of others.