How to Vote in Michigan’s 2024 Elections

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• Early voting: Saturday, Oct. 26, through Sunday, Nov. 3
• Voter registration deadline (online or by mail): Monday, Oct. 21
• Voter registration deadline (in person): Tuesday, Nov. 5, by 8 p.m. 
• Deadline to submit an absentee ballot: Tuesday, Nov. 5, by 8 p.m.
• General election: Tuesday, Nov. 5

• Voter registration: Check your registration using the state’s voter information portal.

• Absentee voting: All registered voters can request a no-excuse absentee ballot.

• Early voting: Michigan requires at least nine days of early voting for statewide and federal elections. Vote early and in person by going to your city or township clerk’s office and filling out an absentee ballot.

• Voting at the polls: Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Bring an acceptable form of photo ID, such as your driver’s license or U.S. passport.

Laws passed in 2023 made several changes to state election law. Among them:

• Allowing at least nine days of early voting for statewide and federal elections.

• Eliminating a prohibition on hiring transportation to bring voters to polling places.

• Providing state funding for drop boxes and prepaid return envelopes for absentee ballots.

• Expanding the list of acceptable photo IDs.

In March, a federal court approved a new map that altered the boundaries of 15 Detroit-area state House legislative districts. A 2021 map had been ruled unconstitutional.

Register to vote online, by mail or in person.

• Online: If you have a valid Michigan driver’s license or state ID, you can use the state’s voter registration portal to register. Online registration ends Monday, Oct. 21.

• By mail: Print a voter registration form, complete it and mail it to your city or township clerk’s office. It must be postmarked by Monday, Oct. 21. You also can get a form at your clerk’s office, a Michigan Department of State branch office or a state public assistance agency, or pick one up during a voter registration drive.

• In person: Register at your city or township clerk’s office and bring an acceptable form of ID that proves residency, such as a Michigan driver’s license, state ID card or a paycheck. You can register to vote in person until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5, which is Election Day. Voter registration is also offered when you complete a transaction at secretary of state self-service stations. Eligible citizens will be registered to vote automatically when they complete a Michigan driver’s license or ID transaction, unless they opt out.

Register to vote until 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, at your township or clerk’s office. Show proof of residency such as a driver’s license or utility bill.

You can check your registration status here.

Sarah Rice/Getty Images

Any registered voter can request a no-excuse absentee ballot. The last day to request an absentee ballot is Friday, Nov. 1, by 5 p.m. by mail (received) and online, and Monday, Nov. 4, by 4 p.m. in person. You can apply for an absentee ballot:

• Online: Fill out an absentee ballot application on the Michigan secretary of state’s website.

• By mail: Download, print and complete an application from the state’s voter information portal. Send it to your city or township clerk’s office or call your clerk’s office to request an application be mailed.

• In person: Visit your city or township clerk’s office to complete an application. If you are registered at your current address, you can request an absentee ballot in person at your city or township clerk’s office.

Return completed ballots by mail, in person or in a drop box. You may return someone else’s ballot if you are an immediate family member or live in their household, a mail carrier or an authorized election official. Election officials must receive ballots by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5, which is Election Day. Military and overseas ballots postmarked by Tuesday, Nov. 5, will be counted if they are received up to six days after an election.

• By mail: Sign and seal your completed ballot envelope with the ballot inside and mail it to your city or township clerk’s office. If you’re returning your ballot within two weeks of Tuesday, Nov. 5, which is Election Day, officials recommend hand-delivering your completed ballot or filling out the application in person at your city or township clerk’s office to avoid potential postal delays.

• In person: Drop off your completed ballot at your city or township clerk’s office.

• Drop box: Insert your completed and signed absentee ballot into a drop box in your city or township.

Use the state’s voter information portal to track the status of your absentee ballot.

In the event of an emergency, such as an unexpected illness or death in the family, you may be able to request an emergency absentee ballot by contacting your city or township clerk’s office before 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5, which is Election Day.

You will have at least nine days — and up to 29 days, depending on where you live — to vote in person before all statewide and federal elections. You can cast your ballot from Saturday, Oct. 26, through Sunday, Nov. 3, at an early voting site. Check the Michigan Department of State website for more information on where to vote.

You also can vote early and in person by going to your city or township clerk’s office and filling out an absentee ballot.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters who are in line at their polling location by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, will be able to vote.

Use the state's voter information portal to find your polling place.

Sample ballots will be available on the secretary of state’s website.

An acceptable form of photo ID, such as a Michigan driver’s license or U.S. passport, is required. If you don’t have ID, you can sign an affidavit at the polls before voting.

Voters with disabilities can vote at home or in person by applying for a standard absentee voter ballot or an accessible voter ballot.

Inside the polling location, at least one voting station will be adapted to allow a person to vote while seated. All voters have access to a Voter Assist Terminal in all polling places. Voters can mark their ballots using a touch screen through a Voter Assist Terminal, which marks the ballot but does not tally the votes. Once the ballot is marked, it is counted in the same way as other ballots.

Voters who need assistance in filling out a ballot can receive help from another person, as long as that person is not the voter’s employer or union official. Get more information at the secretary of state’s website.

Voters with disabilities can contact the Michigan Bureau of Elections Ombudsperson for Accessible Elections for help as well.

Voters who have difficulty reading or writing, are visually impaired or have a physical disability that would interfere with the voting process may apply for an accessible electronic absentee ballot, which can be completed electronically, printed and returned to the clerk. To apply online for an accessible electronic absentee ballot, complete this form.

Voters who live in nursing homes or long-term care facilities can apply for absentee ballots.

Editor’s note: This guide was originally published Jan. 3, 2024, and has been updated with new information about voting in the 2024 elections.

Maura Kelly Lannan is a writer, editor and producer for AARP who covers federal and state policy. She has worked as a reporter for the Associated Press, the Chicago Tribune and the Waterbury, Connecticut, Republican-American. She also has written for Bloomberg Government, The Boston Globe and other publications. 

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