密歇根州和俄亥俄州这两个主要摇摆州的州选举官员表示，在选举日的八周前，他们已经收到创纪录数量的缺席投票请求。
密歇根州国务院发言人杰克·罗洛说，密歇根州已经收到了200多万份申请。
“这比密歇根州的任何选举都要多，”罗洛说，“不仅仅是在八周的时候，而是在任何选举的最后一次。”
密歇根州所有登记的选民都收到了要求投票的申请，罗洛说，这一举措导致了投票人数的大幅增加。
唐纳德·特朗普总统夸大了关于缺席投票危险的毫无根据的理论，此前抨击了这一倡议，称其“非法进行”，不准确地声称该州向每个选民邮寄了一张选票，而不是一张选票申请。
总统竞选团队的律师对美国各州和县提起了多起诉讼，试图压制各种邮件投票倡议。
在2020年5月18日星期一的档案照片中，密歇根州参议院多数党领袖R-Clark Lake Mike Shirkey在密歇根州大急流城市中心发表讲话。Shirkey说，一项允许密歇根州办事员在选举日之前开始处理缺席选票的法案并没有死亡，八月份的初选使官员们无法快速处理冠状病毒大流行期间邮寄选票激增的担忧合法化。
俄亥俄州国务卿弗兰克·拉罗斯(Frank LaRose)本周也报告了一项新的记录——在选举前55天，超过100万人要求投票，比2016年达到的里程碑快了近一个月。极快的速度似乎显示了选民为11月3日做准备的紧迫性。
拉罗斯在一份声明中说:“虽然我们确保选民能够安全地亲自投票，但这种令人难以置信的缺席投票需求表明了俄亥俄州人对该系统的信心。”“它很强。很安全。我们的县选举委员会已经准备好了。”
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这一消息传出之际，全国各州都在为缺席投票做准备，因为许多人担心在2010年选举日前往拥挤的投票站冠状病毒大流行。
布伦南中心投票权和选举项目主任米尔纳·佩雷斯(Myrna Perez)表示，选民的涌入代表着人们对投票的兴奋，也可能是大规模投票的预测因素。
佩雷斯说:“我们相信，选民投票率将达到非常令人兴奋的水平，尽管我们正处于百年一遇的流行病之中，但我们相信这将会发生。”。
据统计，创纪录的75%的美国人今年将有资格通过邮件投票《纽约时报》。
Record number of absentee ballots requested in key swing states
State election officials in Michigan and Ohio -- two major swing states -- said they've already received a record-breaking number of requests for absentee ballots -- eight weeks before Election Day.
More than 2 million requests have been received in Michigan, according to Jake Rollow, a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of State.
"That is more than has ever been requested in any Michigan election," Rollow said, "not just at the eight-week mark, but the final number in any election."
All registered voters in Michigan received an application to request a ballot, an initiative Rollow said contributed to the massive increase.
President Donald Trump, who has amplified baseless theories about the dangers of absentee voting, previously slammed the initiative, saying it was "done illegally," inaccurately claiming the state had mailed every voter a ballot instead of an application for one.
Lawyers for the president's campaign have filed multiple lawsuits against states and counties across the U.S. in an effort to suppress various vote-by-mail initiatives.
In this Monday, May 18, 2020, file photo, Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake, speaks in downtown Grand Rapids, Mich. A bill that would allow Michigan clerks to start processing absentee ballots before Election Day is not dead, and the August primary legitimized concerns that officials won't be able to quickly handle a surge of mailed-in ballots during the coronavirus pandemic, Shirkey said.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose also reported a new record this week -- more than 1 million requests for ballots 55 days ahead of the election, nearly one month faster than that milestone was reached in 2016. The breakneck pace appears to show the urgency at which voters are preparing for Nov. 3.
"While we're making sure voters will be able to safely vote in person, this incredible demand for absentee voting speaks to the confidence Ohioans have in the system," LaRose said in a statement. "It's strong. It's secure. And our county boards of elections are prepared."
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The news comes as states across the country are preparing for an influx of absentee ballots as many fear heading to crowded polls on Election Day during thecoronavirus pandemic.
Myrna Perez, director of the Brennan Center's Voting Rights and Elections Program, said the influx represents people's excitement to get to the polls and could be a predictor of a big turnout.
"We believe that there will be really exciting levels of voter turnout, and we believe that that is going to happen notwithstanding the fact that we are in a once-in-a-century pandemic," Perez said.
A record 75% of Americans will be eligible to vote by mail this year, according toThe New York Times.
