Dear Neighbor,
Voting rights secure all other rights. Your voice matters. Your vote matters.
As Chairman of the Senate Elections Committee, I am leading the efforts to reduce barriers to voting and ease access to the ballot box for all qualified voters.
Ahead of this critical election, I want to share more with you about your voting options, including , how to update your voter registration, secure an absentee ballot, navigate new voting laws that went into effect for this year, and more.
If you have any questions that you need help with, or input you’d like to share, please call my office at (517) 373-7888 or email me at SenJMoss@senate.michigan.gov.
Working for you,
Jeremy Moss
State Senator for District 7
President Pro Tempore of the Michigan Senate
Click here to review the PDF version of the newsletter
Make Sure Your Registration is Up to Date
Have you recently moved or changed your name since the last election? If so, you’ll need to update your voter registration.
Michigan voters are encouraged to register as early as possible before an election. Updating your registration status is simple and can be done in less than 10 minutes.
Methods and requirements for voter registration depend on the following deadlines:
- If there are 15+ days before an election, voters can register online, by mail, or in person at your local clerk’s office or Secretary of State branch.
- Within 14 days of an election, and on Election Day, voters may only register by visiting their local clerk’s office to register in person with proof of residency documentation.
For the November General Election, you must register in person after Monday, October 21. As a reminder, you can also now register in-person on Election Day. Michigan law now allows 16 and 17 years to pre-register to vote to become qualified voters upon their 18th birthday.
Voters can check their voter registration status and look up their local clerk information at Mi.gov/Vote.
Note: If you are updating your registration in person, state law requires you to show a picture ID or sign an affidavit attesting to your identity and that you are not currently in possession of a picture ID.
Voting Early in Person
All registered Michigan voters now have the right to vote early in person at an early voting site for at least nine days before each statewide or federal elections. Your early voting polling location may be different than your regular Election Day polling location. To find out where early voting occurs in your community, contact your local clerk or visit mi.gov/earlyvoting.
Early voting starts at least on the second Saturday before the election and ends the Sunday before the election — nine consecutive days of early, in-person voting.
To learn more about early in-person voting, visit mi.gov/earlyvoting.
All registered voters can vote using an absentee ballot for any reason, no questions asked. You can vote by mail without leaving your home or request a ballot and vote at your local clerk’s office. There are no postage costs to you at the time of mailing the absentee application or ballot.
To vote absentee, you must turn in an absentee ballot application to your clerk online, by mail or in person. We strongly recommend you request your absentee ballot online no later than 14 days prior to the election.
If for whatever reason you do not turn in your absentee ballot—that‘s OK! You still have the option to vote in person at your polling station.
Once you complete your absentee ballot, your city or township clerk must receive it back as voted and signed by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day to be counted*(Military and overseas voters have a six-day extension for receipt if postmarked by Election Day). You can submit by mail or by hand-delivering the ballot to your clerk’s office or their drop box. If you are trying to return your ballot within two weeks of Election Day, we recommend hand-delivering your ballot to avoid possible postal delays.
To find a drop box near you or locate your local clerk’s office, visit mi.gov/vote.
Permanent Absentee
Michigan voters can now choose to automatically receive absentee voter ballots for all future elections through a single, one-time application.
To join the permanent absentee ballot list, submit the regular application to receive an absentee ballot in the next election. Once received, you will see a correlating box on the absentee ballot inquiring about joining the permanent absentee list. Simply select the box on the application and mail or hand-deliver your absentee ballot as normal. Contact your local clerk for more information.
Voters in the Military and Outside the U.S.
You may use a Federal Postcard Application (FPCA) form to apply for an absentee ballot if you are a military voter, a spouse or dependent of a military voter, or are outside the U.S. The law also permits such voters to receive their ballot electronically via email or fax. For more information, visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program at fvap.gov or the Michigan Bureau of Elections at Michigan.gov/elections.
Track your ballot
Visit mi.gov/vote to find out when your absentee ballot application was received, when your clerk sent your ballot out, and when your clerk received your absentee ballot.
When
The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you are in line to vote by 8 p.m., you cannot be turned away.
Where
Simply show up at your assigned polling location on Primary or General Election Day. Find your polling location online at the Michigan Voter Information Center at mi.gov/vote.
Voter ID Requirement
When you arrive at your polling place to vote, state law requires you to either show a picture ID or sign an affidavit attesting that you are not in possession of a picture ID.
You can satisfy the ID requirement by showing a Michigan driver’s license or state ID card. If you do not possess either document, you may show any of the following forms of picture ID if it is current:
- A current or expired Michigan driver’s license or Michigan state ID card.
- A current driver’s license or personal ID card issued by another state.
- A current federal, state, or local government-issued photo ID card.
- A current U.S. passport.
- A current student ID card issued by an educational institution, so long as the document includes the individual’s photo.
- A current military ID card, so long as the card includes the individual’s photo.
- A current tribal ID card, so long as the card includes the individual’s photo.
Note: If you do not bring a picture ID to the polls or do not own a picture ID, you can vote like any other voter by signing an affidavit that will be provided to you.
If you require voting assistance, ask election workers at your polling station for help. They must assist you upon request.
Michigan offers several accessible registration facilities that provide proper accommodation including seated voting booths, Voter Assist Terminals and more. If you or someone you know needs special access to the polls, call your clerk’s office ahead of time to make sure your voting site is free of obstructions. If your precinct is not accessible, you’ll be directed to a different accessible site.
For more information, contact your city or township clerk or visit mi.gov/vote. Hearing impaired residents may contact the Bureau of Elections through email at elections@michigan.gov.
If you or someone you know encounters accessibility issues at the polls or when applying for an absentee ballot, it’s important they are fixed promptly. Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE to report these problems so the voting process can be improved.
Update your voter registration, find your polling place, locate your clerk’s office, request an absentee ballot and more with the Secretary of State’s Michigan Voter Information Center. Visit mi.gov/vote or scan the QR code above using your phone.