Nearly 1.4 million Michiganders have already voted in this election, with more than 1.1 million doing so absentee — but casting a ballot early hasn't stopped the flood of campaign messages.
Voters interviewed at a poll site in Lincoln Park said the ads are relentless, arriving through texts, phone calls, emails, and social media.
"YouTube, Facebook, I get the text messages, I get the emails," said Zanita Clipper, a Lincoln Park voter.
"Have you noticed any increase in the amount of advertisements for the election?" I asked voter Dennis Roe. "Yes, and I'm tired of it."
Sarena Krupa, also of Lincoln Park, said the volume has become overwhelming.
"It's probably 5 times a day, text messages, and then maybe 5 phone calls a day," Krupa said.
"I'd say mainly on the phone, text and emails, and I'll be glad that it's over," Rowe said.
The frustration extends to social media as well.
"Mostly ads. It's both parties and it goes all day long. Just scrolling and see it nonstop," said Rob Pugno, a Lincoln Park voter.
The Michigan Senate race alone has reportedly seen record-breaking spending of more than $243 million, contributing to the wave of campaign advertising hitting residents across the state.
Dr. Aradhna Krishna, the Dwight F. Benton Professor of Marketing at the University of Michigan, said text messages are often the most personal and invasive form of campaign outreach.
"Texts are especially problematic because most people do not have a filtering mechanism for unknown numbers," Krishna said.
When asked whether one medium is more effective than another, Krishna said the sheer volume of messaging makes it hard to answer.
"That's a tough one to answer because especially right now, there is so much overload and burnout with persuasive campaigns that I don't think it is adding much," Krishna said.
Krishna said that by this point in the race, most voters have already made up their minds. Still, neither party wants to go quiet in the final stretch.
"Most of these messages are trying to make sure people do go to the polls to cast their ballot, and they're trying to sway maybe the tiny piece, tiny little slice of what's left that's still undecided," Krishna said.
For the voters interviewed, the sentiment was nearly universal — they're ready for it to end.
"I'm done with them, I'm ready for them to be done," Krupa said.
"Are you ready for it to be over?" Clipper was asked. "Yes, I can't wait until November 4th," she said.
With nearly a million absentee ballots not yet returned, the Secretary of State says if ballots are not in the mail yet, it is best to drop them off in person at your local drop box to ensure they arrive by election day.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
