Detroit Department of Elections officials say citywide voter turnout will reach around 40-45% for the Tuesday, Nov. 3 general election.
Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey and other city officials spoke to reporters Thursday morning about turnout projections, transportation accessibility and security measures for the upcoming election.
Turnout matters because Detroit is the state’s largest Democratic stronghold, and high turnout there could benefit Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate and governor, Abdul El-Sayed and Jocelyn Benson.
On the line Nov. 3 is a U.S. Senate seat, an open governor’s race and local races that will determine control of the state Legislature.
Election chief Daniel Baxter said the 40% to 45% turnout rate is based on empirical data from 2014, 2018, and 2022. He noted that this aligns more closely with the 2018 non-incumbent election (42% turnout) than the 2022 election (34% turnout).
Winfrey earlier this month projected voter turnout at 38-43%.
The amount of absentee ballots returned (27,000 as of Thursday) plus early voting numbers (10,245 total as of Wednesday) contributed to the projection bump.
“If you remember (the 2018 election), that was a non-incumbent election, and the City of Detroit had a 42% turnout, so we’re seeing that same synergy in Detroit,” Baxter said. “In 2022, the turnout was approximately 34%. So we’re seeing things more reflective of how we experienced and encountered the election back during 2018.”
Baxter said he expects ballots to be counted by 4am Wednesday morning.
Winfrey also addressed concerns regarding potential poll intimidation and security. Officials said the city is working in coordination with federal, state, and local agencies to provide space for all challengers, monitors, and observers to witness the process.
Conrad Mallet, the city’s corporation counsel, is serving as the primary partner for legal issues to ensure all procedures follow the law.
Mallet said that while the Department of Justice will send election monitors, there have been no indications of planned disruptions or unusual requests for voter records beyond standard FOIA requests from organizations like the Republican National Committee.
“Nothing consequential, and nothing that they’re not entitled to. This has been part of the course since around 2016,” Mallet said.
DDOT director Robert Cramer said the city’s transportation system will again offer free rides on all fixed-route and paratransit services on Election Day to ensure access to polling places. The free rides have become an Election Day fixture for the department.