Alexander Alusheff, and Justin A. Hinkley

Lansing

Some precincts in Ingham County continue to struggle with technology issues amid high turnout, and county Clerk Barb Byrum is encouraging voters to do as much preparation as they can before heading to the polls.

Byrum said this afternoon that some tabulator machines had to be repaired and others had to be replaced, which she blamed on old, outdated machines.

"These machines are over 12 years old," she said. "They run on Windows XP (software released in 2001 and no longer supported by Microsoft). The fact that we're having tabulator issues is not a surprise. I have been begging for new election equipment for over three years."

Byrum said voters with identification should have that at the ready as they head into their polling place. She also encourages voters to visit michigan.gov/vote to see their sample ballot and study their choices ahead of time.

Among the technology-related issues:

Early this morning at East Lansing's Precinct 16, at the Wesley Foundation on Harrison Road, some ballots were jammed in a tabulator machine, Byrum said this morning. She said any ballots that were not counted by the machine were placed in an auxiliary bin and will be counted.

Also this morning, a computer glitch at the polling place at Lewton Elementary in south Lansing caused voters in line to have to wait to cast their ballots, according to poll watcher Emily Dievendorf. The issue was fixed within 10 minutes, she said, and voters have been casting ballots without incident since then.

Byrum said she also regularly encourages anyone who can to vote absentee.

Digital voting machines are aging out of use

Outside of the technology issues, clerks are reporting relatively smooth voting. There was a rush of voters before business hours, and clerks are expecting a rush as afternoon turns to evening. Polls close at 8 p.m. As long as people are in line by then, they will be able to vote.

“We’re having a good turnout,” said Chris Swope, Lansing city clerk. “Most are being processed pretty quickly.”

Roughly 50,000 voters were expected to head to the polls in the city of Lansing today. Swope said this will be one of the higher election turnouts, with an estimated 55% to 60% showing up. More than 11,000 absentee ballots have been cast, which is the highest the city has seen, he said.

So far, one voting machine has malfunctioned, Swope said, but it was replaced. The city has four back-ups and is working to get the malfunctioning one back online.

“The election equipment is getting old and needs to be replaced,” he said, adding that they have been in use since 2005. “I hope this is the last election we use them.”

About 100 people were lined up outside the gym at Parker at Memorial Baptist Church in south Lansing.before polls opened at 7 a.m., said Robin Smith, chair for precinct 16 in Lansing's Ward 2.

"As it gets toward the dinner hour, we expect a huge increase," she said.

Jamie Rice said she didn't mind the line zigzagging through the gym.

"I was happy about it," she said. "I saw a lot of people in there, a lot of diversity."

Tony Stegall agreed.

"We need to utilize our American right," he said after voting. "A lot of people don't take advantage of it and then want to complain later."

There have been no reported issues at the polls in Clinton County, despite a higher-than-expected turnout, said Diane Zuker, county clerk. She expects a voter turnout of more than 80%, or roughly 45,000 people in the county, compared to 71% in 2012.

The Michigan Secretary of State's Office confirmed Monday that Ingham County received 29,525 completed absentee ballots that morning. Eaton County received 14,238 and Clinton County received 9,375.

Poll watchers out

At some of the highest-turnout precincts in Lansing, voters may encounter poll-watchers who are keeping an eye out for voting irregularities.

Dievendorf stood outside Lewton Elementary as part of what she described as a statewide "election protection" effort organized by a group of nonpartisan civic engagement groups. The effort happens every election but she said additional volunteers were trained this year because "we are anticipating we might have some issues this election just because of the tensions we have been experiencing as a nation."

Volunteers from the group are outside the 24 busiest polling places, she said.

The volunteers carry a list of voters' rights and will help voters who experience problems — everything from voter intimidation to being denied a ballot — by calling the appropriate clerk or even reaching out to a committee of attorneys the group has pulled together.

Meanwhile, inside the school, Lansing's Shari Ewing was watching the polls, unaffiliated with any group. She said she'd come out for the first time just "to help out" and "make sure that everything goes smoothly and there are no problems." She said she'd seen none as of 10 a.m.

The student vote

Inside the Brody Cafeteria at Michigan State University, dozens of students lined up to vote as the odors of lunchtime meals wafted out from kitchens above.

Several Clinton and Trump surrogates visited Michigan State University in the months before the election. This was the partial result. Approximately one-third of the 1,200 people registered to vote at Brody had done so before noon, said Kathleen Kiester, chairperson of Precinct 1.

At the MSU Student Union, voters were lining up by 6:30 a.m., said precinct chair Cathy Scott.

“We’ve had amazing turnout so far,” she said, particularly compared to the August election, when only half a dozen voters turned out to cast their ballots in local elections.

Alexander Alusheff and Justin Hinkley are reporters for the Lansing State Journal. You can reach Alexander at 517-377-1096 and Justin at 517-377-1195. Reporters Beth LeBlanc and R.J. Wolcott contributed to this story.