Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson are encouraging state employees to take Tuesday off to help with the primary election.

The Thursday email to state employees asked them to consider taking a vacation day Tuesday and encouraged managers to approve the requests because of a shortage of election workers due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a copy obtained by The Detroit News.

"A couple hundred" state employees signed up to work during the election within 24 hours of receiving the email, said Jake Rollow, a spokesman for Benson. Those workers can do virtual training through Benson's office, but may be required to do additional training by the jurisdiction with which they're eventually placed, Rollow said.

Benson's office has been recruiting election workers to help in multiple jurisdictions throughout the year to fill shortages during the pandemic.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/08/03/whitmer-benson-state-employees-primary-election/5569583002/