By about 3:45 p.m., Houghton had gotten 643 in-person votes. Paired with the 538 early votes and 884 absentee votes, that put turnout on pace to eclipse the 2020 number of 2,260 voters, said Clerk Ann Vollrath. The absentee numbers include the 84 people who had registered to vote in-person so far. 

“And there’ll be more,” she said. 

Tuesday had been “very busy,” Vollrath said. But Houghton also benefited from a change in state law allowing municipalities of more than 5,000 to begin processing absentee votes early, instead of on Election Day. 

“They were here for six hours yesterday, then today they’re working the whole day, and we expect to be done by eight o’clock with the absent voter ballots, because we have so many,” she said. “It’s wonderful.”

Hancock’s polling place at Lakeview Manor drew strong in-person turnout Tuesday morning, filling the voter parking lot. (Garrett Neese/For the Gazette)

Henry Nordsiek, a poll worker at Houghton’s Precinct 2 at Dee Stadium, as he had been in the 2020 and 2022 elections. Tuesday’s was “by far the biggest” turnout he’d seen. 

With about five hours to go, they’d already had 420 ballots cast — almost more than the 450 ballots that had been his previous high for an election, he said. (They later eclipsed that, reaching 495 shortly before 4 p.m.)

“Everybody has been in a really good mood,” he said. “No crabby voters at all. Not even a hint. It’s going really well.”

Hancock’s voting site at Lakeview Manor, which included all three precincts, had a line of people waiting before polls opened at 7 a.m., said election worker Sherri Dulong. 

“Elections are always busy, but considering there was early voting and quite a few absentees, we’re still getting a lot here,” she said. 

After submitting their ballots Tuesday, voters in Houghton’s Precinct 2 and elsewhere in Michigan got to choose from an assortment of designs entered in a statewide contest this year. (Garrett Neese/For the Gazette)

Operations had been running smoothly, she said, knocking on the wood of her Precinct 2 desk.

Janet Rozich, the election chairman and deputy clerk for Allouez Township, said shortly after 11 a.m., they had had more 206 voters on Election Day. As of Wednesday morning, they’d had 306 absentee ballots turned in. 

“In 2020, we had more absentees, but I think we’re right on track with the in-person,” she said. 

By about 12:30 p.m., Baraga Township had recorded a “great turnout” of 354 in-person votes, including many new voters registering the same day, said Clerk Michelle Fish. 

“With the early voting and the huge turnout that we had for early voting for the nine days for all five townships, we weren’t sure what to anticipate, to tell you the truth,” she said. “But it’s been very busy.”

Voters around the Copper Country uniformly described voting as an act of civic duty, even as they split on the presidential race. 

Dory Shaffer of Hancock said as a Democrat in a conservative area, she likes being able to make her voice heard. She voted for Kamala Harris. 

“My family’s very Republican,” she said. “I’ve always respected that party, but their candidate is just not where it’s at this year, not my vibe. I agree with her on more issues. I just don’t want him to be president as a person.”

Donovin Wonohopay of Baraga also chose Harris. He was motivated by her stance in favor of abortion rights, as well as Project 2025, a proposed blueprint for Trump’s early administration written by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. 

“I don’t really agree with both sides, if I’m being honest, but I just feel like ‘Lesser of two evils,’ just based off my own research,” he said. 

Braden Knoop of Hancock, who voted for Donald Trump, said he makes sure to vote in every election. He saw voting Tuesday as a way to have a hand in determining the country’s future for the next four years or longer. He said he wasn’t motivated by specific issues, but by what he described as “almost two different ideologies going head-to-head.”

“The direction that the country was going in when he was president, I kind of felt like that was the way I wanted to see it go again, just in terms of economics and security,” he said. 

Another Trump voter, George Wagner of Mohawk, said he was motivated by both domestic issues and geopolitics. 

“I guess I missed the guy,” he said. “Things were doing pretty good between 2016 and 2020, so hopefully we can return some of that magic.”

A lifelong Democrat, Jared Wolfe of Houghton left the presidential portion of his ballot blank, feeling “deeply discouraged by both candidates.” He said the most consequential ballot measure for him was the $23 million Houghton-Portage Township Schools bond proposal. He backed the bond, which among other things would fund the creation of an early childhood center with additional classroom space for kindergarten and Young 5s. 

“I don’t think it’ll directly impact our young kids, but just thinking about families that are moving into the area with young kids in the near future, it’ll help build a more positive community,” he said.  

In the future, he said, he would like to see Election Day become a national holiday. 

Some Election Day voters said procrastination was a factor. Others said, even with other options, they liked maintaining the custom. 

“I’ve always loved the vibes on Election Day,” Shaffer said. “Everybody’s always so nice.”

Knoop said it was a matter of tradition and nostalgia.

“The first election I could vote in when I turned 18, I went on Election Day, and that’s just kind of how I always like to do it,” he said.