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Michigan ranked third in the country in voter turnout percentage last year, an achievement the state credits to major election reform and a strong voter education campaign.

In a first-of-its-kind “ turnout report ,” the Department of State highlights the effect of recent voter-approved constitutional amendments, noting an increase in turnout between 2020 and 2024, hundreds of thousands ballots cast by first-time voters and the more than 1.2 million who took advantage of the state’s new early-voting laws.

But some experts say the true driver of the gains was likely local election officials.

Corwin Smidt, interim direc

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