LANSING — Three weeks out from the November election, nearly 1 million citizens have already returned absentee ballots, and more than 2.8 million have requested them. A breakdown by jurisdiction of this week’s absentee ballot data is available here.

“Michigan citizens can be confident that all valid absentee ballots will be counted,” said Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. “We are on pace to see more than 3 million absentee ballots cast, each of which will be verified to ensure the signature on the outside envelope matches the voter’s signature on file, and then securely counted on Election Day.”

Voters are also reminded they can check the status of their application or ballot online at Michigan.gov/Vote or by calling their local city of township election clerk. This can be an especially helpful resource for voters who are receiving mailers with absent voter ballot applications or reminders to submit their ballots from political parties, third-party groups and candidates for office. While such mailings are legal and common ahead of elections, they may be based on inaccurate or out of- date information. This is no cause for alarm, but voters are encouraged to check their status online from the Michigan Department of State, or their local clerk, if they are not sure whether they have applied for or returned their ballot.

The Michigan Department of State (MDOS) also announced this week that Aneta Kiersnowski will join the department’s Communications and External Affairs team. As press secretary Ms. Kiersnowski will support Media Relations Director Tracy Wimmer, who has been with the department since March. Contact information for both can be found on the MDOS website.