Amanda Forrester / news@whmi.com

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said the first weekend of early in-person voting across the state was a success.

More than 250,000 people voted over Saturday and Sunday, with over 145,000 voters coming to the polls on Saturday alone.

Along with the high numbers of voters participating in early in-person voting, Benson said more than 1.5 million absentee ballots have been submitted. She said 24% of registered voters have cast their ballots as of Sunday.

Washtenaw and Oakland counties have the highest numbers of early voters in the state.

Benson said that in addition to the high numbers of votes already completed, many areas are able to begin preprocessing absentee ballots. While the ballots can be run through the tabulator, she said the results won’t be available until after polls close on Nov. 5.

“Jurisdictions with more than 5,000 residents can have up to 8 days of preprocessing,” Benson said.

Officials recommend that those who still need to submit their absentee ballots due so to their local drop box or turn it into their clerk. This will prevent any possible delays if they are mailed in through the Post Office.

When asked when unofficial results will be available, Benson said she believes it will be within 24 hours of the polls closing on Election Day. The results may be available sooner due to preprocessing of absentee ballots, though she said votes received closer to polls closing, closeness of the race and recounts may delay the results.

Additional information on early voting can be found at michigan.gov/earlyvoting.