Following California’s June primary election, President Donald Trump made claims questioning the pace of ballot counting and suggesting problems with the election process, despite providing no evidence to support those claims. Federal officials also announced investigations related to California’s voting procedures. These developments added to ongoing national debate about mail voting, vote counting, and public confidence in elections.

California and Michigan have different election laws. In California, mail ballots can still be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day and arrive within a week. Michigan does not have that same rule. That is one reason California’s count can take longer.

A slower count does not, by itself, mean ballots are being mishandled or ignored. It can mean election officials are following the rules required by state law.

What Michigan voters should know

The debate in California does not change how elections are run in Michigan.

Michigan is not expected to have the same kind of ballot-counting delay as California because Michigan’s rules are different. Unlike California, Michigan does not count absentee ballots that arrive after Election Day just because they are postmarked by Election Day. Votebeat Michigan also reported that Michigan changed its law before the 2024 election to allow communities to process absentee ballots before Election Day, though they still cannot count those ballots until Election Day. That change helped Michigan produce finalized unofficial results by the early afternoon after Election Day in 2024. 

Michigan voters can continue using the voting options available under current state law. All registered Michigan voters have the right to vote by mail using an absentee ballot. Michigan also has early in-person voting for statewide and federal elections, which allows voters to cast a ballot before Election Day at an early voting site.

When questions about elections in another state appear in the news, Michigan voters should look to Michigan election officials and trusted nonpartisan voter information sources for guidance about Michigan elections.

How misinformation affects voters

False or misleading claims about vote counting can make people unsure about whether their ballot will be counted. That confusion can discourage people from participating, especially voters who already face barriers to voting.

Vote counting timelines vary by state because each state has its own election laws. Taking time to count ballots according to state law is not evidence that votes are being changed, ignored, or thrown out.

Lo que puedes hacer

Coalition partners are encouraging community members to learn more about the concerns being raised in California and to support efforts that affirm the importance of counting every eligible vote.

Readers who are interested can review and sign the We Are California Open Letter to Voters. The letter is a partner response to the California debate and calls for confidence in counting every eligible ballot.

You can also help reduce confusion by checking information before sharing it. For Michigan election information, use official sources such as Michigan.gov/Vote, your city or township clerk, or the 888-839-8682 Election Protection Hotline if you have questions or run into a voting problem.

When election results take time, that does not mean something is wrong. It often means election workers are doing the detailed work required to count eligible ballots accurately and according to the law.