Michigan voting guide

How to vote in Michigan

Michigan has some of the most accessible voting rules in the country — same-day registration, nine days of early voting, and mail ballots for anyone who wants one. Here is how to use them.

—Days
—Hours
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until the next deadline.

Step one

Register to vote

All three ways below are open right now.

Online and mail registration are closed for this election. One way is still open, and it stays open until the polls close: in person at your city or township clerk.

Can you register?

Yes, if all four are true.

  • You are a U.S. citizen.
  • You are 18 by Election Day — you can pre-register at 17½.
  • You have lived in your city or township 30 days by Election Day.
  • You are not currently serving a sentence in jail or prison.

A past conviction does not take away your vote

You can register and vote as soon as you are out of jail or prison. Probation and parole do not disqualify you. You do not have to pay anything off first. If someone told you otherwise, they were wrong.

How to register

Online —

At the state's website

Needs a Michigan driver's license or state ID. Takes a few minutes. Deadline 15 days before the election.

Register online mvic.sos.state.mi.us — official state site

By mail —

Print it, sign it, post it

Same deadline as online. Arrival counts, not the postmark — give it a week.

In person — no deadline before Election Day

At your city or township clerk

The one most people do not know about. Register up to 8 p.m. on Election Day and vote in the same visit.

Bring proof of where you live — any one of these, showing your name and current address:

  • Michigan driver's license or state ID
  • Current utility bill
  • Bank statement
  • Paycheck or government check
  • Any other government document

A photo of one on your phone is generally accepted

Already registered? Check anyway.

Registrations get cancelled when people move, and a lot of voters find out at the polls. Checking takes fifteen seconds and it is the single highest-value thing on this page. Check my registration status

Option one

Vote early, in person

Michigan guarantees at least nine straight days of early in-person voting before every state and federal election. It starts the second Saturday before Election Day and runs through the Sunday before.

You vote the same way you would on Election Day — on a real tabulator, with a real ballot, and it is counted the same. There is no application, no envelope, and no signature to get wrong. For most people this is the lowest-risk way to vote.

How it works

  1. Find your early voting site. It is usually not your Election Day precinct — municipalities run a small number of shared sites. Look it up before you drive.
  2. Show up during open hours. Sites must be open at least eight hours a day across the nine days. Many communities offer more days or longer hours than the minimum.
  3. Bring photo ID if you have it. If you do not, you can still vote — see voter ID.
  4. Vote and leave. That is it. You are done.

Already got a mail ballot but want to vote in person?

You can. Bring the mail ballot with you and hand it in to be cancelled, or tell the clerk's staff you never received it and sign a short statement. You will not be turned away — but you cannot vote twice, so do not mail one and then also vote in person without telling them.

Option two

Vote by mail

Every registered Michigan voter can vote by mail. You do not need an excuse, a reason, or a witness. Return postage is prepaid.

1. Request your ballot

Request online, by mail, or in person at your clerk's office. Online requests need a Michigan driver's license or state ID.

Request a mail ballot mvic.sos.state.mi.us — official state site

Do this once, never again

Ask to join Michigan's permanent mail ballot list. A ballot will then be mailed to you automatically for every future election, with no new request. It is the single best thing a busy voter can do, and you can still vote in person any time you prefer.

2. Fill it out and sign the envelope

Mark the ballot, seal it in the return envelope, and sign the outside of the envelope. The signature is checked against the one on your registration record.

If you forget to sign, or the signature does not appear to match, your clerk must contact you and give you a chance to fix it. That only works if they can reach you — so return your ballot with days to spare, not hours, and make sure your clerk has a current phone number.

3. Get it back in time — this is where votes are lost

Your ballot must be in your clerk's hands by 8 p.m. on Election Day. A postmark does not save it. A ballot mailed the weekend before may not make it.

Four ways back, best first:

  • Ballot drop box — the safest choice inside the last week. Many are available around the clock until 8 p.m. on Election Day. Michigan requires drop boxes based on population, so most communities have at least one. Use a box in the city or township where you live; another jurisdiction's box risks your ballot not counting.
  • Hand it to your clerk's office in person.
  • Your early voting site, or your Election Day precinct — since 2024 you can carry your mail ballot in and feed it into the tabulator yourself. Keep it in the envelope your clerk sent you, and an election inspector will help you. Not available in the City of Detroit, where mail ballots go to a drop box or the clerk instead.
  • U.S. Mail — fine if you have a week or more. Postage is prepaid.

A member of your immediate family, or anyone living in your household, may also deliver it for you.

Inside the last week: stop mailing it

If it is within about seven days of Election Day, walk your ballot to a drop box or your clerk's office instead of mailing it. This is the most common reason an otherwise perfect ballot does not count.

4. Track it

You can confirm online that your clerk mailed your ballot and that they received it back. Check it — do not assume.

Track my mail ballot

Made a mistake, or changed your mind?

If you have not returned it yet, you can ask your clerk to "spoil" that ballot and issue you a new one — in person at their office up to 4 p.m. the Monday before the election. There is an earlier written-request route too; ask your clerk.

Or skip the paperwork: vote in person and surrender the mail ballot at your early voting site or your Election Day precinct.

Lost it, or it never came? Sign a statement at the polls saying so and vote a regular ballot. A poll worker checks with your clerk that the mail ballot was never returned. You are not stuck, and you do not go home without voting.

Option three

Vote on Election Day

Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. You must vote at your assigned precinct — not just anywhere in town.

In line at 8 p.m.? Stay in line.

If you are in line when polls close, you are entitled to vote. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise, and do not leave. If someone tries to close the line, call 866-OUR-VOTE immediately.

Before you go

  • Confirm your precinct. Polling places move. Look it up the morning of, not from memory.
  • Preview your ballot. Michigan lets you view your actual ballot online beforehand. Long ballots are where people give up halfway. More on this →
  • Bring notes. You are allowed to bring a marked-up sample ballot or a list on your phone into the booth.
  • Most of Michigan is Eastern time — but the western Upper Peninsula counties on the Wisconsin border are Central. Polls close at 8 p.m. local time.

At the polls

  1. Give your name and address to the election inspector.
  2. Show photo ID, or sign an affidavit if you do not have one — see below.
  3. Take your ballot to a booth. Fill in the ovals completely.
  4. Feed it into the tabulator yourself. If it rejects the ballot, ask for a new one — do not walk away.

No statewide right to paid time off

Michigan does not have a general statewide law requiring employers to give you time off to vote. Some employers and union contracts do. This is exactly why early voting and mail ballots exist — if your shift makes Tuesday hard, do not plan on Tuesday.

Frequently gotten wrong

Voter ID in Michigan

Michigan asks for photo ID. Michigan does not require it to vote a regular, fully counted ballot.

If you do not have acceptable photo ID with you, you sign a short affidavit at the polls confirming who you are, and then you vote a normal ballot that is counted with everyone else's. It is not a provisional ballot and it is not set aside.

If a poll worker tells you that you cannot vote without ID, that is incorrect. Ask for the affidavit, and if you are still refused, call 866-OUR-VOTE before you leave the building.

Photo ID that works

  • Michigan driver's license or state ID
  • Driver's license or ID from another state
  • Federal, state, or local government photo ID
  • U.S. passport
  • Military ID with photo
  • Student ID from a high school or an accredited college or university
  • Tribal ID with photo

It does not need to show your current address. Expired ID may be accepted — bring it anyway, and sign the affidavit if it is refused.

Accessible voting

If voting in person is hard

Voting machine you can use

Every polling place in Michigan has an accessible voting terminal with audio, large text, and alternative controls, so you can vote privately and independently. Ask for it.

Curbside voting

If you cannot get into the building, election workers will bring a ballot out to your vehicle. Send someone in to ask, or call your clerk before you arrive.

Bring someone to help

You may bring almost anyone to assist you — a relative, a friend, a caregiver. The exceptions are your employer, an agent of your employer, and an agent of your union.

Voting from home, a hospital, or a care facility

A mail ballot solves most of this, and you can join the permanent mail ballot list so it arrives automatically. If an emergency happens after the normal request deadline — a sudden hospitalization, for example — call your city or township clerk and ask about an emergency absent voter ballot. It exists precisely for this. More help →

Special situations

"Does this apply to me?"

I'm a college student

You may register at your school address or your family's address — whichever you consider home, but only one. Voting in two places is a crime; being registered where you actually live is not.

Registering at your campus address means your ballot has your local city council, school board, and county races on it. Registering at home means you keep voting where your family does, and you will probably need a mail ballot. Both are legitimate — pick one and make sure your mail can reach you there.

A student ID from an accredited Michigan college counts as photo ID at the polls.

I moved recently

You need to have lived in your city or township for 30 days before Election Day to vote there. If you moved within Michigan, update your registration — it does not follow you automatically.

If you moved very close to the election, call your clerk. Depending on timing you may need to vote in the community you moved from. Do not guess; a two-minute phone call settles it.

I changed my name

Update your registration so the name and signature on your record match what you will sign. This matters most for mail ballots, where a signature mismatch can hold up your vote.

I don't have a permanent address

You can still register and vote in Michigan. You may use a shelter, a service address, or a description of where you generally stay as your residence, with a separate mailing address where you can receive mail. Your city or township clerk can walk you through it — this is a normal, routine thing for them.

I'm in jail but haven't been convicted

Pretrial detainees and people held on misdemeanors keep the right to vote in Michigan. The bar is serving a sentence in jail or prison. A mail ballot is usually the route. Call 866-OUR-VOTE if a facility is not cooperating.

I'm military or living overseas

Use the Federal Post Card Application to register and request ballots at once, and ask your clerk to send your ballot electronically to save transit time. Michigan gives military and overseas ballots additional time to arrive if they are sent by Election Day — confirm the current rule with your clerk or the Federal Voting Assistance Program before you rely on it.

English isn't my first language

You may bring someone to help you read and mark your ballot (anyone except your employer or union agent). Some Michigan jurisdictions provide translated materials. For live help by phone: Spanish 888-VE-Y-VOTA, Arabic 844-YALLA-US, Asian languages 888-API-VOTE. Esta página también está disponible en español.

Your clerk is the final word

Michigan runs elections at the city and township level, so office hours, early voting sites, and drop box locations all vary by where you live. When in doubt, your clerk's answer beats ours. Find your clerk

Know how you're voting? Lock it in.

Naming a day makes you far more likely to actually do it.

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