Absentee ballots appear to be at a record level this year in Michigan, and with that, could tilt Michigan Democratic, says political scientist Matt Grossmann, director of Michigan State University's Institute for Public Party and Social Research.
Still, the state's political landscape looks uneven, Grossmann said. Absentee voting for any reason is in its first year in Michigan, where voters have had to specify a reason why they couldn't vote in person. Enthusiasm for absentee ballots, in 2016 and 2018, failed to materialize, he noted.
Another way to show your enthusiasm for voting: play Election Madness, a new pick-em game similar to basketball's March Madness created by MSU political scientist Eric Juenge. Learn more on the podcast, but get your picks in by Monday, Oct. 26 to have a winning chance. Grossmann and IPPSR technical manager Jes Sprague helped build the game.
The economy is still an election-year factor, MSU economist Charles Ballard projected in the podcast. A better economy may have yet to materials until the U.S. gains on the pandemic Coronavirus, he forecast.
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