Summary
Federal & state elections on the ballot: 14 US House members, Governor, and State House and Senate members
Ballot measures:
The Michigan Division of Elections, part of the Secretary of State, oversees all Michigan elections.
OnAir Post: Michigan Votes in 2024
News
Detroit Free Press, – August 30, 2021
Michigan Republicans are gearing up to launch a petition drive to enact major changes to voting by circumventing Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s veto.
Many of the proposed changes have already been introduced by GOP state lawmakers in the face of opposition from election officials and voting rights advocates who say the legislation would disenfranchise voters.
The planned petition from Secure MI Vote, a ballot committee set up in December, proposes a strict photo ID requirement at polling locations and a brand new one for absentee voters, according to a summary of the petition shared by Fred Wszolek, a consultant to the campaign. The petition would set up a $3 million Voter Access Fund to provide personal ID cards free of charge.
About
Contact
Locations
Michigan.gov Help Center
Phone: 1-877-web-mich
Web Links
Registering to Vote
General Information
Who can register
To register in Michigan you must:
- be a citizen of the United States
- be 18 years old by the next election
- be a resident of Michigan and at least a 30 day resident of your city or township by Election Day
- not be confined in a jail after being convicted and sentenced
Warning: Michigan law requires that the same address be used for voter registration and driver license purposes. Therefore, if the residence address you provide on this form differs from the address shown on a driver license or personal identification card issued by the State of Michigan, the Secretary of State will automatically change your driver license or personal identification card address to match the residence address entered on this form. If an address change is made, the Secretary of State will mail you an address update sticker for your driver license or personal identification card.
How to register
- Use our Register to Vote form below to fill out the National Voter Registration Form.
- Sign and date your form. This is very important!
- Mail or hand-deliver your completed form to the address we provide.
- Make sure you register before the voter registration deadline.
Election Day registration
If you have missed the voter registration deadline, you can still register to vote and a cast a ballot at the same time during early voting or on Election Day. To register under these rules, Contact your Local Election Office with any questions.
Voting Rights restoration
If you have been convicted of a felony and have questions about whether you can register to vote, visit Restore Your Vote to determine your eligibility.
Registration Status (form)
New Registration (form)
Voting
General Information
Voting as a Student
Learn more from Campus Vote Project about voting for students.
Overseas and Military Voting
You are a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas OR a spouse or dependent of a uniformed services voter. To get registered and vote, you can utilize Overseas Vote Foundation.
If you have additional questions about elections and voting overseas you can use our state specific elections official directory or contact the Overseas Vote Foundation.
Voting with Disabilities
Any action or physical barrier that prevents voters with disabilities from casting a ballot is unacceptable. To ensure that proper accessibility is maintained, federal and state laws require polling places to remove or make accommodations for any barriers that prevent voters with disabilities from voting.
Care should be taken to ensure that the polling place is accessible: doors should not be blocked, alternatives to stairs such as ramps or elevators should be available, and lighting and seating should be adequate. Furthermore, at least one voting station should be adapted to allow a person to vote while seated.
If you require assistance in casting a ballot, you may choose a person to help you provided that the person is not your employer, an agent of your employer, or an officer or agent of your union.
If you or someone you know requires special access to the polls, it’s important to call the clerk’s office ahead of time to make sure your voting site is free of obstructions. If your precinct is not accessible, you will be directed to an alternative site that is accessible. For more information, contact your local clerk. Hearing impaired residents with questions may contact the Department of State’s Bureau of Elections by TTY at (517) 322-1477.
For more information, you can utilize the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) resource.
Early Voting
Beginning 45 days before the Election you can vote early in person or apply for an absentee ballot at your City/Township Clerk’s office. You can apply for the absentee ballot and vote that ballot during the same visit! Early voting continues until 4pm the day before the Election.
If you prefer, you can bring your ballot home to vote, just be sure to return the ballot by 8pm on Election Day.
City/Township Clerk offices must be open for at least 8 hours the weekend before the Election to allow for registration and voting by absentee ballot. To check your specific clerk’s hours, please click here.
Vote by Mail (Absentee)
Absentee ballot rules
Any registered Michigan voter may apply for an absentee ballot and vote by mail.
How to get Absentee ballot
- Use our Absentee Ballot form below to prepare your application.
- Sign and date the form. This is very important!
- Return your completed application to your Local Election Office as soon as possible. We’ll provide the mailing address for you.
- All Local Election Offices will accept mailed or hand-delivered forms. If it’s close to the deadline, call and see if your Local Election Office will let you fax or email the application.
- Make sure your application is received by the deadline. Your application must actually arrive by this time — simply being postmarked by the deadline is insufficient.
- Please contact your Local Election Office if you have any further questions about the exact process.
What to do next
- Once you receive the ballot, carefully read and follow the instructions.
- Sign and date where indicated.
- Mail your voted ballot back to the address indicated on the return envelope.
- Your voted ballot must arrive by the deadline or it will not be counted.
Absentee ballot application deadline
- In Person: 1 day before Election Day.
- By Mail: 4 days before Election Day.
Absentee ballot submission deadline
Election Day
Absentee Ballot (form)
Elections Alert (Form)
Pollling Information
Polling Place Locator
You can find your polling place by utilizing your state resource.
If you have further questions on your polling place location, please contact your county clerk.
Polling Place Hours
Polling places will be open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm on Election Day.
Poll Worker Information
In order to be a poll worker in Michigan:
- You must be registered to vote in Michigan
- You will be entitled to compensation
- You must be at least 18 years of age
- Political affiliation required
- You must complete required training
- Students16 years or older who meet all other voter requirements may be appointed
To sign up, contact your local board of elections.
Division of Elections
Secretary of State
Jocelyn Benson is Michigan’s 43rd Secretary of State. In this role she is focused on ensuring elections are secure and accessible, and dramatically improving customer experiences for all who interact with our offices.
Benson is the author of State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process, the first major book on the role of the secretary of state in enforcing election and campaign finance laws. She is also the Chair of Michigan’s Task Force on Women in Sports, created by Governor Whitmer in 2019 to advance opportunities for women in Michigan as athletes and sports leaders.
A graduate of Harvard Law School and expert on civil rights law, education law and election law, Benson served as dean of Wayne State University Law School in Detroit. When she was appointed dean at age 36, she became the youngest woman in U.S. history to lead a top-100, accredited law school. She continues to serve as vice chair of the advisory board for the Levin Center at Wayne Law, which she founded with former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin. Previously, Benson was an associate professor and associate director of Wayne Law’s Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights.
Prior to her election, she served as CEO of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE), a national nonprofit organization using the unifying power of sports to improve race relations.
Benson is co-founder and former president of Military Spouses of Michigan, a network dedicated to providing support and services to military spouses and their children.
In 2015, she became one of the youngest women in history to be inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame.
Election Modernization Advisory Committee
In February 2019 Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced an Election Modernization Advisory Committee to advise her administration and the Department of State’s Bureau of Elections on the implementation of the Promote the Vote constitutional amendment and further election reforms.
Members of the committee include county, city and township clerks from across the state, Michigan-based voting rights advocates, and local and national election experts.
“The results of last November’s election are clear: Michigan voters want to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat,” Benson said. “I am grateful to the local and national experts who have agreed to come together to ensure we do just that, modernizing our elections, applying best practices and making Michigan a national model for clean, efficient and secure elections.”
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
- Members of the Committee
- Tripp Adams
- Jackie Beaudry
- David Becker
- Nick Ciaramitaro
- Mary R. Clark
- Sharon Dolente
- Martha Gonzalez-Cortes
- Trey Grayson
- Rachel Huddleston
- Elizabeth Hundley
- Mary Kotowski
- Benjamin Marentette
- Amber McReynolds
- Tammy Patrick
- Whitney Quesenbery
- Justin Roebuck
- Joe Rozell
- Matt Singer
- Khalilah Spencer
- Julia Stonestreet
- Chris Swope
- Natalie Tennant
- Christopher Thomas (chair)
- Robin Troyer
- Nancy A. Waters
- Matthew Weil
- Janice Winfrey
