Voting Information

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Your Voter Identification Card lists your precinct number and your assigned polling place location. If you do not receive your card within three weeks after registering, contact your city or township clerk’s office to confirm your registration status. You also may check your status online at the Michigan Voter Information Center at Michigan.gov/vote. To vote, simply appear at your assigned polling place on Election Day. The polls are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Voter ID Requirement

When you arrive at your polling place to vote, state law requires you to either show picture ID or sign an affidavit attesting that you are not in possession of 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 as long as it is current: driver’s license or ID card issued by another state, a federal or state government-issued photo ID, a U.S. passport, a military ID card with a photo, a tribal ID card with a photo or a student ID with a photo from a high school or an accredited institution of higher education. If you do not bring a picture ID to the polls or do not possess picture ID, you can vote like any other voter by signing an affidavit that will be provided to you.

Voters Who Require Assistance

Special accommodations are available for voters who are disabled. If you require voting assistance, ask the election workers for help; a reason for the needed assistance does not have to be stated. Two inspectors will assist you in the voting station. An elector who is blind, disabled, or unable to read or write may be assisted with his or her ballot by any person of the voter’s choice, other than the voter’s employer or agent of that employer, or an officer or agent of a union to which the voter belongs. A voter-assist terminal is available for use by voters who are disabled. This ballot marking device is designed to permit voters who are disabled to vote independently without the assistance of another person.

Absentee Ballots

Absentee ballots are available for all elections. Due to the passage of the statewide ballot proposal 18-3, all eligible and registered voters in Michigan may now request an absent voter ballot without providing a reason.

Your request for an absent voter ballot must be in writing and can be submitted to your clerk;
You must request an absent voter ballot by submitting an application, a letter, a postcard, or a pre-printed application;
Requests to have an absent voter ballot mailed to you must be received by your clerk no later than 5pm the Friday before the election;
If you are registered at your current address, you can pick up an absent voter ballot in person at your clerk's office by 4pm the day before the election;
If you are registering to vote or updating your address by appearing at your clerk's office on Election Day, you can request an absent voter ballot at the same time you register;
After receiving your absent voter ballot, you have until 8pm on election day to complete the ballot and return it to the clerk's office.

Your signature on the absent voter ballot request will be checked against your voter registration record before a ballot is issued. Your ballot will not be counted unless your signature is on the return envelope and matches your signature on file. Only you, a family member or person residing in your household, a mail carrier, or election official is authorized to deliver your signed absent voter ballot to your clerk's office.

A preprinted absentee ballot application form is available from your city or township clerk upon request. Application forms are also available online at the Michigan Voter Information Center at Michigan.gov/vote. The Michigan Voter Information Center has information on absentee voting, local clerk contact information and the status of your absentee ballot request. Send your completed absentee ballot application to your city or township clerk.

Voters in the Military and Outside the United States

A Federal Postcard Application (FPCA) also can be used to apply for an absentee ballot if you are a military voter, a spouse or dependent of a military voter, or outside the United States. The law also permits such voters to receive their ballot electronically via email or fax. For more information online, visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program at fvap.gov or the Michigan.

Absentee Ballot Deadlines

If you want an absentee ballot mailed to you, your application must be received by 5 p.m. the Friday before the election. Make your request early to allow for delivery time. A voter already registered at your current address, can pick up an absent voter ballot in person at the clerk’s office any time up to 4 p.m. the day before the election. All absentee ballots must be received by the clerk’s office no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Emergency Absentee Ballots

If an emergency, such as a family death or sudden illness 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 byt before 4pm 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.