Upcoming Elections
Primary Election: 8/3/10
General Election: 11/2/10
Click here for 2009 registration deadlines and election dates.
Polling Place Hours: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. (EST)
Click here to download a Michigan Frequently Asked Questions Document created by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and its pro bono law firm partners.
Voter Registration Information
Click here for a Michigan Voter Registration Guide created by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and its pro bono law firm partners.
Registration Deadlines
July 6, 2010 is the last day to register for the August primary.
October 4, 2010 is the last day to register for the November general election.
Identification Required for Registration
No identification is require, but, under federal law, first-time voters who register by mail and have not provided identification at registration are required to do so at the polling place.
How to Check Registration
Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE
Visit the Michigan Voter Information Center
Voting Information
Identification Required to Vote
Due to a recent court ruling, every Michigan voter must present picture identification at the polls, or sign an affidavit attesting that he or she is not in possession of picture identification.
How to Find Your Polling Place
Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE
Visit the Michigan Voter Information Center
Absentee Voting
Click here to visit GoVoteAbsentee.org, a resource for absentee voters.
A person may vote absentee for any one of the following reasons:
- Because of physical disability such person is unable to vote without assistance at the polls
- Religious beliefs
- Role as election official in another precinct
- In jail awaiting arraignment or trial
- Unable to vote without assistance at the polls
- 60 years of age or older
- Is or expects to be outside the township/city where he or she resides (including absence due to enrollment at a university, college or other higher education institute).
Voters may apply to vote absentee between 75 days and 2:00 p.m. the Saturday before an election. Voters may apply to vote absentee by mail or at the clerk of the township, city, or village where the voter is registered. A person qualified to vote as an absent voter may apply in person at the clerk's office before 4:00 p.m. on the day before the election (except a Sunday or holiday).
If an emergency, such as a sudden illness or family death prevents you from reaching the polls on Election Day, you may request an emergency absent voter ballot. Requests for an emergency ballot must be submitted after the deadline for regular absent voter ballots has passed but before 4:00 p.m. on Election Day. The emergency must have occurred at a time which made it impossible for you to apply for a regular absent voter ballot. Your local clerk will have more information about emergency absent voter ballots.
Early Voting
Michigan does not have "early voting," but a person qualified to vote as an absent voter may apply in person at the clerk's office before 4:00 p.m. on the day before the election (except a Sunday or holiday).
Information For People who have Moved or Changed Addresses
Michigan law specifies that when a voter moves within the same city or township, the voter can simply vote at the precinct where he or she was registered, and update the registration rolls with the new address on Election Day.
Michigan law further specifies that if the voter moves from one Michigan county to another, or from one city or township to another in the same county, the failure to update the registration rolls with the new address prior to election day does not affect the right to vote so long as the move occurred within 60 days of election day.
Information for People with Felony Convictions
Any person convicted of a crime in a court of Michigan or another state or in a federal court, who has been lawfully released from prison, has the right to vote. A person who was a qualified and registered voter prior to conviction does not have to re-register upon release from prison.
For more information, go to the Secretary of State's website, or click here to download a Michigan Election Protection manual created by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and its pro bono law firm partners.
