While the 2024 presidential election may feel a long way out, in Michigan, the clock is ticking for clerks and lawmakers who are working out plans to move the state toward an earlier presidential primary.

Michigan Democrats continue to advocate to move next year's presidential primary up, making Michigan the fifth state in the nation to vote for the president and falling in line with a Democratic National Committee plan to reorganize the states that get to vote first.

Legislative Republicans have expressed concern over the change to the election schedule because, among other reasons, it could cause Republicans to lose delegates nationally due to Republican National Committee rules.

"Picking states off one by one to structure it to an individual candidate's advantage is dishonest, disingenuous, and disenfranchising," Rep. Ann Bollin, R-Brighton, said last week in a floor speech.

On Wednesday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill moving the primary up to Feb. 27, 2024. However, since Republicans voted against the bill, it did not receive enough support to go into effect immediately. Without enough support, state law requires the bill to go into effect 90 days after the legislative session ends. With that law in place, it means that the primary date change rule would not go into effect in time for the February primary.

Now, Democratic lawmakers are looking for a solution.

Some political experts have suggested that the legislature adjourn early this year in order to make the 90-day rule go into effect early enough that the Feb. 27 date could still work as a primary.

While most Michiganders may not be thinking about the next president yet, clerks like Barb Byrum are.

A lot of people think elections are a one-day event, and they most certainly are not," Byrum, who works as Ingham County Clerk, said. "We are preparing for elections months ahead of time. So right now, I'm preparing for a May special election."

Some have suggested Michigan hold two elections in the spring — one presidential primary for Democrats and one for Republicans — within two weeks of one another. Byrum said that plan is one that simply would not be possible as things stand right now because it would require new equipment and additional workers, among other things.

There is a supply issue, there is a significant expense issue to buy all the extra equipment, and then there is a security issue in that we, local clerks, would have ballots coming in for two different elections," she said.

Byrum's concerns were echoed by Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini, a former Republican state representative.

"I don't know what numb-skull was thinking that up," Forlini said about the dual-primary proposal. "They have no idea what they're doing if that's what they want to do."

Forlini emphasized that lawmakers and voters need to remember that election workers would be forced into a position where they'd be working long hours for weeks at a time - even more than the long hours they already work during election season - something Forlini said "goes against the laws of nature."

"For God's sakes, these are human beings. No one is allowing for human error, and that's a problem," he said.

Forlini said he was supportive of plans to move the presidential primary forward, though he said Republicans should move their primary to hold it the same day as Democrats.

Byrum believes holding two elections so close together would be a recipe for disaster.

"These are the things that professional election administrators think about that, that legislators quite frankly don't," said Byrum, who previously served in the state legislature.

Lawmakers said that while next year's presidential primary date remains up in the air, they are working behind the scenes to resolve concerns.