Feb. 27 (UPI) — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump seek another step toward a November rematch in the Michigan primaries on Tuesday. But the Republican side of the process is the latest example of an odd election cycle.
In total, the Republican Party will seat 55 delegates from Michigan. Only 16 are on the line on Tuesday. The other 39 will not be awarded until Saturday’s state party convention.
This is because Gov. Gretchen Whitmer moved Michigan’s presidential primary date last year, up from March to February.
The move created a conundrum for the Republican Party of Michigan. The Republican National Committee ruled that Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina are the only states allowed to hold primaries or caucuses before March.
Democrats will award 117 delegates based on the share of votes a candidate receives on Tuesday. Biden has swept through the primary cycle so far, earning 96% of the votes in South Carolina earlier this month.
Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., is the only candidate still campaigning against Biden after author Marianne Williamson suspended her campaign.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., is calling on voters to vote for the “uncommitted” option on the ballot in protest of Biden’s support for Israel and calling for a cease-fire in the Middle East. Tlaib is the only Palestinian-American ever elected to Congress.
“We don’t want a country that supports wars and bombs and destruction,” Tlaib said in a video posted to X. “This is the way you can raise our voices. Right now we feel completely neglected and unseen by our government. If you want us to be louder then come here and vote uncommitted.”
Polls are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST. Michigan hosts open primaries, meaning that voters do not need to register with either party to vote in its primary. Instead, they request the ballot for the party they wish to vote on. This has no bearing on how they may vote in November.
Ingham County, Mich., is home to 212,269 registered voters. Barb Byrum, county clerk, told UPI that it has received 34,315 early and absentee votes. This represents about 16% voter participation.
“In March 2020 we had a competitive Democratic Primary and the turnout was 28.45%,” Byrum said in an email to UPI. “In recent elections, around 75% of ballots have been cast absentee. If that trend holds true, we should have 46,000 voters or about 21% turnout.”
Early voting began on Feb. 17 and ended on Sunday.
Bonnie Scheele, Grand Traverse County clerk, told UPI in an email that she expects 30% to 40% voter turnout, based on 2020 numbers. There are 82,514 registered voters in Grand Traverse County.
“That would be a pretty good turnout for a Presidential Primary,” Scheele wrote.