Michigan secretary of state: Election results will not be available until Nov. 6

Jocelyn Benson, Michigan's Democratic secretary of state, announced that she cannot promise that her state's election results will be certified until Nov. 6, the day after the presidential and congressional election.

These statements were made after it transpired that Michigan has 500,000 more registered voters than citizens eligible to vote. In fact, the state has 8.4 million registered voters, a figure that exceeds the voting-age population by nearly half a million.

"In 2020, we had the results of our highest-turnout election in Michigan history within 24 hours of the polls closing. The unofficial results were completed by 8 p.m. on Wednesday, so we’re tracking that again this year," Benson said on CBS News' "Face the Nation."

"We do have more options to process ballots sooner than Election Day, which is where we were restricted in 2020, so I'm optimistic we could see results even sooner, but I would estimate end of the day on Wednesday as the best guess on how we'll perform. But that said, we will always prioritize accuracy and security over efficiency," he added.

"Understanding how much people want those results, we're still going to make sure the process is secure and accurate before we put anything out to the public. But that said, we understand people's energy and excitement, and we'll be working hard to ensure those results are all ready as soon as possible."

Benson maintains that Michigan voters are eager to cast their ballots and that more than 1 million people have already voted in the state and more than 2 million requested an absentee ballot. She further promised to certify the results no matter who the victor is.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Michigan Republican Party have filed a lawsuit against Benson because they believe the information needed for poll workers to verify ballots is not complete.