Voter Registration - How to Register - ID Requirement - Acceptable Forms of ID - Early Voting - Absentee Ballot - Provisional Voting - Sample Ballots - Primary System
State Contact Information
Bureau of Elections
Treasury Building, 1st Floor
430 W. Allegan Street
Lansing, MI 48918
Phone: (517) 373-2540
Fax: (517) 373-0941
Web: http://www.michigan.gov/sos
Email: elections@michigan.gov
Voter Registration
To register to vote in Michigan, you must be:
- A U.S. citizen
- At least 18 years old by Election Day
- A resident of Michigan and the city or township where you are applying to register to vote
- Not serving a sentence in jail or prison
Once you have registered to vote, you are not required to register again unless you change your residence, name, or political party affiliation.
Please note that any intentional false statement made on an application for voter registration constitutes perjury and is punishable by law.
How to Register to Vote
In Person
You may obtain the application at one of the following:
Other state government offices:
i. Family Independence Agency
ii. The Department of Community Health
iii. The Department of Career Development
iv. Military Recruitment Centers
Michigan law states that the same address must be used for voter registration and driver's license purposes. That means, if the residence address you provide on the application differs from the address shown on a driver's license or personal identification card issued by the state of Michigan, the Secretary of State will automatically change your driver's license or personal ID card address to match the residence address entered on this form. If a change is made, the Secretary of State will mail you an address update sticker for your driver's license or personal ID card.
If you are living outside the U.S., you may send a Federal Postcard Application to register to vote. This application is distributed through U.S. embassies and military bases. It also serves as a way to request an absentee ballot.
If you hand-deliver your application, the staff person helping you will take your form and you don't need to do anything else.
By Mail
FIRST-TIME VOTERS: If you have never registered to vote in Michigan and choose to mail in your application, you will need to provide proof of identification. This means you must:
- Enter your driver's license number or personal identification card number where requested on the form. OR
- Send a copy of one of the following forms of identification with your application:
i. A photocopy of your driver's license or personal ID card, or
ii. A photocopy of a paycheck stub, utility bill, bank document or government document that lists both your name and your address.
Close of Registration: 30 days before Election Day.
Please visit: http://sos.publius.org/addrsearch/enter_address.asp?SearchType=addrsearch&SearchPage=clk%5F lookup to find your county's election and voter registration officials.
ID Requirement
Only persons who will be voting at a polling place for the first time are required to show proof of identification. Voters who do not bring an ID on Election Day may vote with a provisional ballot. Please read below under "Provisional Voting" for more information.
Acceptable Forms of ID
Approved forms of photo identification include:
- Michigan driver's license or state-issued ID card
- Driver's license or personal identification card issued by another state
- Federal or state government-issued photo identification
- U.S. passport
- Military ID with photo
- Student identification with photo from a high school or accredited institution of higher learning
- Tribal identification card with photo
If you do not bring your ID on Election Day, vote with a provisional ballot (please read Provisional Ballot).
Early Voting (N/A)
Early voting is not offered in the state of Michigan. Voters who wish to vote before Election Day see Absentee Ballot/Vote By Mail.
Absentee Ballot
Who May Vote by Absentee Ballot
As a registered voter, you may obtain an absentee voter ballot if you are:
- age 60 years old or older
- unable to vote without assistance at the polls
- expecting to be out of town on election day
- in jail awaiting arraignment or trial
- unable to attend the polls due to religious reasons
- appointed to work as an election inspector in a precinct outside of your precinct of residence.
First-time voters must vote in person:
A person who registers to vote by mail must vote in person in the first election in which he or she participates. The restriction does not apply to overseas voters, voters who are handicapped or voters who are 60 years of age or older. (Voting in person on one governmental level clears the restriction on the other levels. For example, if a voter subject to the restriction votes in person at a school election, the voter would be free to obtain an absentee ballot for the first state election in which he or she wishes to participate.)
How to Request an Absentee Voter Ballot
To obtain an absentee voter ballot application:
Note to first-time voters: if you're a first-time voter you must vote in person in the first election in which he or she is participating.
When to Request an Absentee Ballot
The County Board of Elections must receive letter applications no later than 5 p.m. on the Tuesday before Election Day.
Last Day to Request an Absentee Ballot: 2 p.m. the Saturday before the election.
Last Day to Return Completed Absentee Ballot: 8 p.m. on Election Day to your local clerk's office.
After receiving your absentee voter 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 absentee voter ballot to your clerk's office.
Emergency Absentee Ballot
When to request an emergency absentee ballot
You may make an "emergency" request for an absentee ballot if you cannot attend the polls because of:
- personal injury or illness
- a family death or illness that requires you to leave your community for the entire time the polls are open on election day
The emergency must have occurred late enough that you could not file for a regular absentee voter ballot. If you are requesting an emergency absentee ballot, you may have someone deliver your written request for the ballot to your city or township clerk's office before 4 p.m. on Election Day.
Emergency ballots must be returned to the clerk's office by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Provisional Voting
If you do not have photo ID, you can still cast a ballot simply by signing an affidavit. The affidavit can be used by:
- Voters who do not have acceptable photo ID
- Voters who have photo ID but didn't bring it to the polls
Once you sign the affidavit, you may cast your ballot. It will be counted with all other ballots on Election Day.
Sample Ballots
Please visit http://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,1607,7-127-1633_8716_8735---,00.html for information on candidates and proposals
Primary System (closed)
Michigan's primary system is closed. In order to vote in a primary, voters must be registered in one of the political parties whose candidates are running for office.
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