No. Michigan law prohibits the following within 100 feet of a polling place:
Yes. Election observers are allowed in polling places to observe the voting process as permitted by Michigan Election Law. Election observers are not election workers and may not assist voters. Local clerks do not hire election observers.
Types of election observers include:
For information on firearms in a polling place, please review the 2022 Secretary of State guidance on Current Voter Intimidation and Firearm Laws.
In February 2023, House Bill 4127 was introduced to prohibit possession of firearms within 100 feet of a polling place and early voting locations. The bill also prohibits someone from possessing a firearm within 100 feet of an absentee voter ballot drop box for 40 days before an election, with limited exceptions, including for uniformed law enforcement. The legislation is currently pending.
The following individuals are legally permitted to return a voter’s absentee ballot:
It is a felony in Michigan for a person other than those listed to possess or deliver a ballot regardless of whether it has been voted.
No. Michigan uses a secure voter records database, called the Qualified Voter File, that tracks when a voter has submitted a ballot. This ballot information is used by local clerks and election workers to prevent the issuance of duplicate ballots.
Each time a ballot is issued, the ballot number and the name of the voter it is issued to is recorded in the QVF. If a voter requests a second ballot, the entry for the first ballot would be flagged, and the clerk would invalidate the first ballot before issuing a new ballot.
Voters who have cast an absentee ballot and then choose to vote at an early voting site, or at the polls on Election Day, will be turned away.
Under Michigan's automatic voter registration law, when a voter updates the address on their voter registration, their address on their driver's license or state ID will also be updated. Additionally, if a change of address for a license or state ID is submitted to the Michigan Department of State, the address on the voter's voter registration will also be updated.
Local city and township clerks are trained in signature verification by the Michigan Bureau of Elections. Local clerks review and compare the signature on each absentee ballot to the signature on the return envelope, and to the voter’s signature on record to confirm its validity. The signature on record for a voter is typically the signature provided on a Michigan driver’s license or state ID, or as provided on the voter registration application.
If a local clerk determines that a signature is not valid, the ballot is rejected, and the clerk must promptly notify the voter of the rejection.
Locate your local clerk's office
Track the status of your absentee ballothttps://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/Voter/Index/
Learn more about election security in Michigan
If you are eligible and have a valid Michigan license or ID number, you can register to vote online at Michigan.gov/Vote. If you don't have a Michigan license or ID, contact your local clerk.
Go to Michigan.gov/Vote
You can register to vote at your local clerk’s office through Election Day. You must be a resident of your city or township for at least 30 days prior to the election, a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old when you will vote, and not currently serving a sentence in jail or prison.
If it is an Election Day, after registering to vote, you can vote with an absentee ballot at the clerk’s office or visit your polling place.
When registering, you must show proof of your address. The document must include your name and current address, and can be a digital copy. Acceptable documents include:
No, if the voter is already registered to vote at their current address, they are not eligible to request an absentee ballot on Election Day. In emergency situations only, a voter may apply for an absentee ballot from their local clerk's office as late as 4 p.m. on Election Day.
Voters with a disability who require assistance in completing their absentee ballot application may receive assistance from another person, provided that the person assisting the voter is not the voter's employer, agent of that employer or an officer or agent of a union to which the voter belongs. The individual who provided the assistance must input their information in the provided space on the absentee ballot application.
Voters with disabilities can also request an accessible absentee ballot by submitting an accessible absentee ballot application online at Michigan.gov/Vote. When requesting an accessible absentee ballot, the voter will be emailed an electronic ballot and can mark the ballot on an electronic device, using their own assistive technology, and print and mail or otherwise return the ballot to their local clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Voters can also download an accessible application to vote absentee and submit it to their local clerk’s office by mail, email, or in person. Or they may visit their local clerk’s office to request an absentee ballot in person.
Locate your local clerk's office
Accessible absentee ballot application
Learn more about accessible voting in Michigan
Completed and signed absentee ballots received by local clerks are securely stored until they are processed and tabulated. Ballot storage containers used within each municipality must be approved by the bi-partisan county election commission.
Michigan uses death data from the Social Security Administration Master Death Index to regularly remove the names of individuals who are deceased from the Qualified Voter File, a secure voter records database. Local clerks may also identify deceased individuals in their communities and remove that individual’s record.
If a living voter casts an absentee ballot prior to Election Day and the clerk learns they have died before the ballot is tabulated, the deceased voter’s ballot is rejected and will not be counted. This procedure regularly results in the rejection of thousands of ballots during statewide and federal elections.
There are safeguards in place to ensure an absentee ballot cannot be voted on behalf of another individual (deceased or otherwise), including a signature match performed on the signed absentee ballot envelope.
In most cases, absentee voters may "spoil" their ballot, or change their vote, until 5 p.m. on the second Friday before Election Day if the ballot has not already been tabulated.
Voters who wish to vote in person after obtaining an absentee ballot can do so at their early voting site or Election Day polling place if they have not already returned their absentee ballot. Voters may either submit their voted absentee ballot for tabulation at the early voting site or Election Day polling place or they may “spoil” their absentee ballot and be issued a new ballot.
Locate your local clerk's office
Track the status of your absentee ballot
A provisional ballot is a ballot requiring additional steps or information to confirm a voter’s eligibility to vote before the ballot can be counted.
A provisional ballot may be issued to a voter at a polling place if:
After casting a provisional ballot, a voter has 6 days to provide appropriate ID documentation to their city or township clerk.
If election officials can verify that a voter is registered to vote in the appropriate jurisdiction, the provisional ballot will count. A provisional ballot is rejected if a voter is not registered to vote or failed to provide proper identification and proof of residency.
Notice to voters who receive a provisional ballot
Election challengers, who are election observers, have the right to issue a challenge to a voter's eligibility to vote at the polls. The challenge must be based on good reason to suspect a violation of election law has occurred, usually based on prior knowledge about a voter's ineligibility.
Challengers may not issue a challenge for the purpose of delaying the voting process, based on race or appearance of a voter, or based on political affiliation or the voter’s ballot selection.
A permissible challenge will be examined further by election workers and the local clerk. This process may require the voter to confirm certain information to verify their eligibility under oath at their polling place. If a voter confirms their eligibility under oath, they will be issued a ballot that is marked as challenged. The voter may also need to take additional steps after voting to verify their eligibility and will be contacted by their local clerk with instructions.
If a voter whose eligibility is permissibly challenged refuses to take the oath or answer questions designed to verify the voter’s eligibility, the challenge is accepted, and the voter cannot cast a ballot.
As part of Michigan’s automatic voter registration law, when a registered voter updates their voter registration address, the voter’s driver’s license or state ID address is also updated.
To update voter registration, voters must “re-register” using updated information. Please view the voter registration section for options on how to register. Deadlines for voter registration also apply to individuals updating their voter registration.
It is unlawful for a person to attempt, through menace or other means, to influence another person in how to vote, or to deter or interrupt another person in voting at an election. Federal statute prohibits threatening, intimidating, and coercing voters.
Voter intimidation may include:
Individuals witnessing or experiencing voter intimidation should report it at their polling place to an election worker, or to their local clerk. You may also contact the voter protection hotline at:
In Michigan, local clerks are trained in signature verification by the Michigan Bureau of Elections. Local clerks must review and compare the signature on each absentee ballot to the signature on the return envelope, and to the voter’s signature on record to confirm its validity. The signature on record for a voter is typically the signature provided on a Michigan driver’s license or state ID, or as provided on the voter registration application.
Ballots are rejected when they lack a matching signature, and voters are given an opportunity to cure a missing or non-matching signature.
Voting in another person’s name is illegal and charges are brought against people who attempt to apply for a ballot in someone else’s name. Anyone with evidence of voter fraud should report it to law enforcement in writing for investigation.
A voter may use an expired Michigan driver's license or state ID as a valid form of photo ID. However any other type of photo ID (such as a driver's license from another state, photo ID issued by a local government or educational institution, etc.) must be current, and cannot be used as a valid form of photo ID if expired. To vote, a voter would be required to sign an affidavit stating the voter is not in possession of a valid photo ID.
Absentee ballots take time to securely process and count. To ensure timely results, many states allow clerks a week or more to process absentee ballots prior to Election Day. For example, Florida allows clerks to process absentee ballots for one month before an election.
In Michigan, cities and townships with a population of 5,000 residents or more may establish an Absentee Voter Counting Board (AVCB) to process and tabulate absentee ballots during any of the eight days before an election between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Cities and townships, regardless of population, can establish an AVCB to process and tabulate absentee ballots on the Monday before an election between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Voters can securely track the mailing and receipt of their absentee ballot application and absentee ballot at Michigan.gov/Vote. Voters can contact their local clerk’s office with questions about the mailing or receipt of their application or absentee ballot.
Locate your local clerk's office
Track the status of your absentee ballot
To register to vote in Michigan you must be:
Organizations like political parties, special interest groups and non-profit organizations frequently send absent voter ballot applications in the mail, sometimes using outdated voter registries and mailing addresses. If a voter receives election mail from a previous resident, they should write “Not at address” on the piece of mail and return to USPS.
Local clerks who are responsible for providing absentee ballots to registered voters will only provide an absentee ballot to a registered voter if they have completed and submitted an absentee ballot application.
Learn more about election security
Learn more about voter cancellation procedures and what to do with election mail from previous residents
Complete the mail-in voter registration form and mail it to the address indicated on the form.
If you have never voted in Michigan and register by mail, you may be subject to an additional identification requirement provided under federal law. The identification requirement can be met by providing your Michigan driver’s license number or last four digits of your Social Security number on the mail-in form or sending a copy of any current and valid photo identification or a copy of a paycheck, government check, utility bill, bank statement or a government document which lists your name and address with the registration form. If you do not fulfill this requirement at the time of registration, you may provide one of the previously listed items at the polls on Election Day to complete the process. If you vote by mail, you may provide a copy of one of the previously listed items with your absentee ballot application or absentee ballot.
The office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding state holidays.
The City of Lansing provides both metered parking and public parking ramps. Metered parking is available along the south side of Allegan Steet and throughout the downtown area.
Voters will be asked to present an acceptable photo ID, including:
The ID does not need to include the voter’s address.
Please note that voters who do not have an acceptable form of ID or failed to bring it with them to the polls still can cast a ballot and will be asked to sign a brief affidavit stating that they're not in possession of a photo ID.
Michigan residents who are at least 16 years old, a U.S. citizen, and are not currently serving a sentence in jail or prison may register to vote online, by mail, at a self-service station, or at a Secretary of State office no later than two weeks before Election Day. Eligible citizens can register to vote or update their voter registration in-person up to and on Election Day in person at their local clerk’s office.
Additionally, several state agencies and military recruitment centers also provide voter registration services.
Per the passage of Proposal 3 in 2018, Michigan now allows same-day voter registration, meaning that eligible citizens can register and vote up to and on Election Day. Voters may register or update their voter registration in person at their city or township clerk’s office through 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Eligible citizens can register to vote or update their voter registration online, by mail, at a self-service station, or at a Secretary of State office up to two weeks before Election Day. Voters must register to vote or update their voter registration in person at their local clerk’s office in the 14 days before an election and on Election Day.
Voters can securely track the status of their absentee ballot application and ballot at Michigan.gov/Vote. Voters may also contact their local clerk’s office with questions about the receipt of their application.
Locate your local clerk's office
Track the status of your application
Registered Michigan voters may request an absentee ballot by submitting an absentee ballot application online at Michigan.gov/Vote, by mail, or in person at their local clerk’s office. To avoid the potential for mailing delays, voters who choose to request an absentee ballot are encouraged to submit their absentee ballot application no later than two weeks before Election Day. Voters may also request an absentee ballot in person at their local clerk’s office through 4 p.m. on the Monday before an election.
Upon receiving your absentee ballot application, your local clerk’s office should check the signature on your application against the one recorded on your voter registration record. Once the signature is verified, the clerk’s office will issue your absentee ballot. To track your absentee ballot application and absentee ballot visit Michigan.gov/Vote.
After receiving your absentee ballot, you have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to complete and sign the ballot and return it to your local clerk's office, who will again verify that the signature on the ballot return envelope matches your signature on file.
Please note: If you receive assistance completing your absentee ballot, the person who helped you must sign the designated space on the return envelope before your ballot can be submitted to the clerk’s office. Only you, a family member or person residing in your household, a mail carrier, or deputized election official is authorized to deliver your signed absentee ballot to your clerk's office.
You may make an emergency request for an absentee ballot if you cannot attend the polls on Election Day due to an emergency occurring at or after 5 p.m. the Friday before an election. If you experience one of the following emergencies during this time, you may request an emergency absentee ballot:
Those who qualify for an emergency absentee ballot should contact their local clerk for assistance. All absentee ballots must be returned to the clerk's office by 8 p.m. on Election Day in order to be tabulated.
Please return it to your local clerk's office by mail, in person, or at a designated absentee drop box in your city or township. Visit Michigan.gov/Vote for to locate your city or township clerk if the information is not present on the return envelope.
Yes. After your voter registration application is processed by your clerk, you will receive a voter identification card that will list your polling place location and your voting districts. This card is for your reference, and you do not need to present it when you go to vote. If you did not receive or lost your card, contact your local clerk for a replacement or visit Michigan.gov/Vote to check your registration status.
The Bureau of Elections is responsible for:
To update your voter registration, complete a change of address application online, by mail, at a Secretary of State office, or at your local clerk’s office:
Michigan voters must use the same residential address for voter registration and their driver’s license/ID. Consequently, if you change your address on your driver’s license or ID, it will automatically apply to your voter registration, and vice-versa. Therefore, if the residence address you provide when registering to vote differs from the address shown on your license or ID, the Secretary of State will automatically change your license or ID address to match your address on your voter registration. The Michigan Department of State will mail you a corrected change of address sticker for your standard license or ID, or a new enhanced state ID or driver’s license with your updated address.
No. As long as you are in the correct polling location, your name will appear on the registration list supplied to your precinct.
The voter identification card is for your reference and is not required to vote. If you did not receive or have lost your voter identification card, contact your local clerk for a replacement, or visit Michigan.gov/Vote to check your registration status.
Registered Michigan voters can still vote with an absentee ballot while temporarily residing outside the United States. To request an absentee ballot, complete and submit an absentee ballot application to your local clerk to have the ballot mailed to you overseas.
If you are already outside of the United States, you may use the Federal Postcard Application (FPCA) form to register to vote and request an absentee ballot. The FPCA forms are distributed through U.S. embassies and military bases.
Candidate and campaign finance records are accessed through the campaign finance searchable database.
All voter registration records are public documents and can be obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The following voter information is not made available to the public:
Additionally, the identity or type of office that initially received the voter’s registration and information regarding an individual’s refusal to register to vote are not public record.
No. Michigan voters do not register by party affiliation.
Voters may view their sample ballot at Michigan.gov/Vote.
Yes, the Bureau of Elections can make copies of public documents. There is a fee of $0.25 per page, which must be paid before the request can be filled. Bureau of Elections can only accept cash, check, or money orders.
To obtain copies, please submit a written request to:
Michigan Department of State
Bureau of Elections
PO Box 20126
Lansing, Michigan 48901-0726
Email: Elections@Michigan.gov
It's easy to find out who your representatives are at the state and federal levels:
Michigan State Representative: House.Michigan.gov
Michigan State Senator: Senate.Michigan.gov
U.S. Congressperson: House.gov
U.S. Senators: Senate.gov
Michigan’s executive branch (Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General): Michigan.gov/SOM/Government
Michigan's judicial branch: Michigan.gov/SOM/Government
Anyone can help register eligible citizens to vote in Michigan. Guidance and materials for hosting a voter registration drive are available at Michigan.gov/VoterEducation.
Voters can take a picture of their own ballot in the voting booth. For the privacy and security of neighboring voters, voters are prohibited from holding their ballot up for a selfie and/or photo. Voters may, however, take selfies outside of the polling location and are encouraged to do so.
In Michigan, voters can only vote in one party column and cannot "split" their ticket (i.e., vote in more than one party column) if voting in a presidential (March) or statewide (August) primary.
Voters may “split” their ticket in the general election (November). Per the passage of Proposal 18-3 in 2018, Michigan voters also have the option to vote straight-ticket by selecting the option on the side of their ballot with partisan races. Voting straight ticket does not automatically include selections on non-partisan side of the ballot.
Michigan has prohibited the practice of displaying election-related materials at the polls for decades. This includes clothing and buttons as well as materials such as pamphlets, fliers, and stickers. You cannot display such items in the polling place or within 100 feet of an entrance to a polling place. If you go to the polls with a shirt or button bearing election-related images or slogans, you will be asked to cover or remove it.
According to state law, eligible citizens who are not currently serving a sentence in jail or prison are eligible to register and vote in Michigan. Citizens who are eligible can vote if they:
The compilation of home foreclosure information alone does not provide sufficient reason to challenge a person's voting status. In fact, the Michigan Republican and Democratic parties agree that so-called foreclosure lists do not provide a reasonable basis to challenge voters.
The Bureau of Elections has produced a guide titled “The Presidential Primary Facts and Statistics,” which explores the history of the presidential primary in Michigan and provides statistics about previous presidential primary elections.
If obtaining your absentee ballot in person, you will be requested to show photo ID. If you are not in possession of photo ID, you sign an affidavit stating you are not in possession of photo ID. If applying for an absentee ballot by mail, you will sign the application return envelope and your local clerk will verify the signature on the return envelope against the signature on file for you.
To confirm your designated polling location, visit Michigan.gov/Vote. Registered Michigan voters who move within 60 days of the election may still vote at their previous address if they have not registered to vote at their new address before the election.
The Bureau of Elections provides past election results, reports, statistics, and data by year online. Local election results are available through each county clerk’s office.
The bipartisan boards of canvassers at the county and state level are required by law to affirm the will of the people as demonstrated by the number of votes cast for each candidate in an election. Each board is comprised of two Republicans and two Democrats. Michigan law provides the county canvassers 14 days to examine everything that transpired in the elections in jurisdictions in their counties, and then certify the results and the election. The State Board of Canvassers subsequently must vote to certify all the county elections. There are a number of procedural checks-and-balances that ensure that elections are secure, and all eligible votes are accurately counted. Residents interested in learning more about canvassing and elections in Michigan are encouraged to become an election inspector by contacting their local clerk or Democracy MVP.
Poll workers are called "election inspectors" in Michigan. To find out how to become an election inspector and other ways to help, visit Michigan.gov/DemocracyMVP.
You are not required to vote the entire ballot. You may pick and choose the races or ballot questions for which you want to vote. Skipping sections of the ballot does not invalidate your ballot.
The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for all elections. Voters who are in line at their polling location by 8 p.m. on Election Day may still wait in line to vote.
If you hand-deliver your application, the staff person helping you will take your form and ask you to provide photo identification. If you do not have an acceptable form of photo identification, you will be asked to sign an Affidavit of Voter not in Possession of Picture Identification.
If you have never registered to vote in Michigan and choose to mail in your application, you will need to meet an identification requirement. This means you must:
If you are unable to fulfill this requirement at the time of registration, you may provide one of the previously listed items at the polls on election day to complete the process.
Never send an original document.
After receiving your absentee ballot, you have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to complete the ballot and return it to the clerk's office. Your ballot will not be counted unless your signature is on the return envelope and matches your signature on file. If you received assistance voting the ballot, then the signature of the person who helped you must also be on the return envelope. Only you, a family member or person residing in your household, a mail carrier, or election official is authorized to deliver your signed absent voter ballot to your clerk's office.
Information about election administration in Michigan is available at Michigan.gov/ElectionSecurity.
Due to the passage of the statewide ballot proposal 18-3 in 2018, all eligible and registered voters in Michigan may now request an absentee ballot without providing a reason.
The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission was established by voters in 2018 to redraw Michigan’s state house, senate, and congressional districts. These new maps will be in use for the 2022 statewide primary and general elections. The maps will be in place for the next 10 years.
Information about changes to polling place locations and updated voter registration cards will be provided to voters by their city or township clerk. Voters can also find their voting precinct by visiting Michigan.gov/Vote and selecting “Where is my polling place” under the topic “Your voter information.”
Voters can request an absentee ballot online up until 5 p.m. on the Friday before Election Day or may request one in person at their city or township clerk’s office up until 4 p.m. on the Monday before Election Day. Information for all local Michigan clerks is available on Michigan.gov/Vote.
Voters who have submitted their absentee ballot application are encouraged to track their request online at Michigan.gov/Vote to ensure their local clerk’s office received their request. The website will also securely track when a local clerk’s office sends an absentee ballot to the voter by mail and when the clerk has received the ballot back from the voter.
Voters who have not received their absentee ballot as Election Day approaches are encouraged to visit Michigan.gov/Vote to confirm their voter registration information and address is up to date. If they confirm this is the case, they may contact their local clerk’s office to check on the status of their absentee ballot application and requested ballot.
Voters may also request an absentee ballot in person at their city or township clerk’s office up until 4 p.m. the Monday before Election Day.
If a voter has already voted absentee and wishes to change their vote, a voter can spoil their ballot by submitting a written and signed request to their city or township clerk. Voters have three options to spoil their ballot:
There is not an option to spoil an absentee ballot that has already been received by the clerk on Election Day. If a voter’s absentee ballot was lost or destroyed, they may sign a statement attesting to this and may vote in person at their polling place.
The Bureau of Elections is located on the first floor of the Richard H. Austin Building (formerly the Treasury Building) at 430 W. Allegan St., in downtown Lansing. Access is available through the north side and south side entrances. All guests must register at the security desk before proceeding to the Bureau of Elections. The entrance to the Bureau is located in the northeast corner of the lobby.
Regular mail for the Bureau of Elections should be addressed to:
Michigan Department of State
Bureau of Elections
PO Box 20126
Lansing, MI 48901-0726
The mailing address for overnight or express deliveries is:
Michigan Department of State
Bureau of Elections
Richard H. Austin Building - First Floor
430 W. Allegan
Lansing, MI 48918
You may also contact the Bureau by:
Fax: 517-335-3235
Or email us at:
Election Division: Elections@michigan.gov
