Call before you give up

First, make sure you are at the right precinct — voting at the wrong polling place is the most common cause, and it is easy to fix by driving to the correct one. Confirm your polling place

If you are at the right place and still not listed, ask the precinct to call the city or township clerk. Registration records are sometimes simply out of sync.

If that does not resolve it, you can go to your clerk's office and register in person that same day, right through 8 p.m. on Election Day, then vote there. Bring proof of residency. Call 866-OUR-VOTE on your way.

This is incorrect. Michigan asks for photo ID but does not require it. If you do not have acceptable ID with you, you may sign an affidavit confirming your identity and then vote a regular ballot that is counted normally — not a provisional ballot, not set aside.

Ask specifically for the affidavit. If you are still refused, call 866-OUR-VOTE before leaving.

Check its status first — you can see online whether your clerk mailed it. Track my ballot

If it is lost or never came, you have options: ask your clerk for a replacement, or just go vote in person. You will sign a short statement that you did not receive or are not returning the mail ballot. You will not be turned away for this.

Contact your clerk immediately and ask to "spoil" your ballot and get a replacement. There are cutoffs, and they are earlier than most people expect — this is a same-day phone call, not a next-week one.

Do not try to fix it with cross-outs, and do not feed it into the machine. Hand it back to an election inspector and ask for a new ballot. You are entitled to replacements. If the tabulator rejects your ballot, that is also your cue to ask for a fresh one rather than walking away.

Voter intimidation is illegal under both federal and Michigan law. That includes aggressive questioning of voters, blocking entrances, following people, filming them to discourage voting, or falsely claiming to be an election official.

Tell the precinct chairperson — they have authority over the polling place — and call 866-OUR-VOTE. Write down what happened and when. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911 first.

Stay. A broken tabulator does not stop voting — ballots are secured and counted later. Report long waits to 866-OUR-VOTE; documented wait times are how resources get moved and how sites get fixed for the next election. And again: in line at 8 p.m. means you vote.

Ask for curbside voting — election workers bring a ballot to your vehicle. Send someone inside to request it, or call your clerk before you arrive. Every Michigan polling place also has an accessible voting terminal with audio and alternative controls.

In Michigan you can vote as soon as you are out of jail or prison. Probation and parole do not disqualify you, and no fines or fees need to be paid first. If you are being told otherwise, call 866-OUR-VOTE.

Do not act on it. Verify independently at mvic.sos.state.mi.us or by calling your clerk. False information about polling locations, dates, and eligibility circulates every election. Official sources only, every time — including instead of us.