All registered voters in Michigan have the right to vote by mail using an absentee ballot delivered to their home. Voters can also request an absentee ballot directly from their local clerk’s office. Absentee ballots are available beginning 40 days prior to every election.
Michigan voters can now join the permanent absentee ballot list by checking a box on the application to receive an absentee ballot for every election.
A voter must submit an absentee ballot application before an absentee ballot can be sent. Voters can request an absentee ballot up to 75 days before an election by submitting a completed absentee ballot application to their local clerk. Absentee ballots are available and distributed beginning 40 days before the election.
Michigan voters can decide to be placed on a permanent absentee ballot list. Their local clerk will then mail them an absentee ballot for all local, state, and federal elections.
Select a tab to review options for requesting an absentee ballot.
For information on military and overseas absentee voting, visit the military and overseas voting section.
Voters can submit a completed absentee ballot application to their local clerk online. Once the ballot application has been processed, the absentee ballot will be mailed to the voter beginning 40 days before the election.
Requirements: The following voter information is required to apply online:
Deadline: Online applications may be submitted until 5 p.m. the Friday before Election Day. To ensure there is enough time to receive and return an absentee ballot, plan on submitting the absentee ballot application online at least 15 days before Election Day.
Voters can request an absentee ballot by mailing a completed absentee ballot application to their local clerk. Ballot applications may be printed from the Michigan Department of State website or picked up at a local clerk's office. Applications mailed to a voter from their local clerk will include a pre-paid return envelope.
Requirements: The following information is required to apply by mail:
Deadline: Completed applications may be mailed, placed in an official drop box, or dropped off at the clerk's office. Mailed applications must be received by a voter’s local city or township clerk’s office by 5 p.m. the Friday before Election Day.
To ensure there is enough time to receive and return an absentee ballot, plan on mailing the absentee ballot application at least 15 days before Election Day.
Voters can visit their local clerk’s office in person to request, complete, and submit their absentee ballot application on site. Voters requesting an application from their local clerk may also take it home with them to complete and submit later.
Requirements: The following information is required to apply in person:
Deadline: Individuals registered to vote at their current address have until 4 p.m. the day before Election Day to submit an application in person at their local clerk’s office.
Eligible voters who are not currently registered to vote in Michigan, or who have not updated their registration with a current address in Michigan, have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to visit their local clerk’s office to register to vote or update their registration address and request an absentee ballot to complete and submit on site.
So long as an eligible, unregistered resident is in line at their clerk’s office by 8 p.m., they may register to vote and cast an absentee ballot.
Locate your local clerk's office
Voters can securely track the status of their absentee ballot application and ballot at Michigan.gov/Vote. Voters may also contact their local clerk’s office with questions about the receipt of their application.
Voters can securely track the mailing and receipt of their absentee ballot application and absentee ballot at Michigan.gov/Vote. Voters can contact their local clerk’s office with questions about the mailing or receipt of their application or absentee ballot.
Voters with a disability who require assistance in completing their absentee ballot application may receive assistance from another person, provided that the person assisting the voter is not the voter's employer, agent of that employer or an officer or agent of a union to which the voter belongs. The individual who provided the assistance must input their information in the provided space on the absentee ballot application.
Voters with disabilities can also request an accessible absentee ballot by submitting an accessible absentee ballot application online at Michigan.gov/Vote. When requesting an accessible absentee ballot, the voter will be emailed an electronic ballot and can mark the ballot on an electronic device, using their own assistive technology, and print and mail or otherwise return the ballot to their local clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Voters can also download an accessible application to vote absentee and submit it to their local clerk’s office by mail, email, or in person. Or they may visit their local clerk’s office to request an absentee ballot in person.
Locate your local clerk's office
Registered voters in Michigan using a Michigan Absent Voter Ballot Application have the option to join the permanent absentee ballot list and will receive an absentee ballot in every election going forward. However, MOVE voters must complete a FCPA each year to ensure that they are sent a ballot early enough to allow for overseas mail. Applications that are received after the November election will apply to all of the next year’s elections.
Organizations like political parties, special interest groups and non-profit organizations frequently send absent voter ballot applications in the mail, sometimes using outdated voter registries and mailing addresses. If a voter receives election mail from a previous resident, they should write “Not at address” on the piece of mail and return to USPS.
Local clerks who are responsible for providing absentee ballots to registered voters will only provide an absentee ballot to a registered voter if they have completed and submitted an absentee ballot application.
Absentee ballot envelopes will contain a ballot, a secrecy sleeve, and ballot marking instructions. Voters who make a mistake when filling out an absentee ballot must request a new ballot from their local clerk’s office for the error to be corrected. Mistakes may include:
Filling out an absentee ballot: Voters should complete their absentee ballot by carefully following the written instructions included with the ballot. Instructions may differ based on the type of election.
Signing an absentee ballot: Voters must sign and date both the absentee ballot and the return envelope on the provided space. Voters should use their signature as shown on their on their driver’s license, state ID, or voter registration application.
If a voter’s signature does not fit in the provided space, a shorter signature that resembles the signature on record may be used. Voters may also sign a shortened version of their first name, for example, “Bill” for the name “William”.
Inserting the ballot into the secrecy sleeve: Completed ballots should be inserted into the secrecy sleeve as instructed. Voters may contact their local clerk’s office with questions about how to complete an absentee ballot.
Returning the absentee ballot: Voters have several options to securely return their completed and signed absentee ballot. Absentee ballots must be received by a voter’s local clerk’s office by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.
Voters can mail their completed and signed absentee ballot to their local clerk’s office using the provided pre-paid envelope.
Deadline: Mailed absentee ballots must be received by a local clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Ballots not received by this time will not be counted. Voters are encouraged to mail an absentee ballot at least two weeks before Election Day to avoid potential mailing delays. Military and overseas voter absentee ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received within 6 days after the election.
Voters can return a completed and signed absentee ballot to one of their clerk’s secure drop boxes located in their city or township.
Drop boxes look similar to postal boxes but are specifically designed to securely store absentee ballots.
Local clerks and their staff regularly collect absentee ballots from drop boxes and securely transfer them to the clerk’s office where they are stored until processing begins.
Deadline: Ballots must be inserted into a drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.
Beginning in 2024 Primary Election, voters can bring their completed and signed absentee ballot to their early voting site to insert directly into a tabulator.
The election inspector must verify that a voter is in the correct location and that the ballot has been issued to the correct voter.
Once this information is confirmed, voters can insert a completed absentee ballot into the tabulator, just like at a polling place on Election Day.
Deadline: Voters may submit an absentee ballot at an early voting site up until the Sunday before Election Day.
Voters can return their completed and signed absentee ballot in person to their local clerk’s office.
Eligible voters who are not currently registered to vote in Michigan, or who have not updated their registration with a current address in Michigan, have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to visit their local clerk’s office to register to vote or update their registration address and request an absentee ballot to complete and submit on site.
So long as an eligible, unregistered resident is in line at their clerk’s office by 8 p.m., they may register to vote and cast an absentee ballot.
Deadline: Absentee ballots must be received at a voter’s local clerk’s office by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.
The following individuals are legally permitted to return a voter’s absentee ballot:
It is a felony in Michigan for a person other than those listed to possess or deliver a ballot regardless of whether it has been voted.
Voters can track the progress of their absentee ballot online at Michigan.gov/Vote.
Beginning in 2024, voters may opt-in to receive notifications regarding the status of their absent voter ballot application and absentee ballot. Voters will also be notified if a submitted ballot is rejected, including the reason for rejection and how to resolve the issue.
Completed and signed absentee ballots received by local clerks are securely stored until they are processed and tabulated. Ballot storage containers used within each municipality must be approved by the bi-partisan county election commission.
Local city and township clerks are trained in signature verification by the Michigan Bureau of Elections. Local clerks review and compare the signature on each absentee ballot to the signature on the return envelope, and to the voter’s signature on record to confirm its validity. The signature on record for a voter is typically the signature provided on a Michigan driver’s license or state ID, or as provided on the voter registration application.
If a local clerk determines that a signature is not valid, the ballot is rejected, and the clerk must promptly notify the voter of the rejection.
Locate your local clerk's office
In most cases, absentee voters may "spoil" their ballot, or change their vote, until 5 p.m. on the Friday before Election Day if the ballot has not already been tabulated. Once Public Act 81 takes effect, absentee voters generally may spoil their ballot until 5 p.m. on the second Friday before Election Day if the ballot has not already been tabulated.
Voters who wish to vote in person after obtaining an absentee ballot can do so at their early voting site or Election Day polling place. Currently, the absentee ballot will be invalidated, and the voter will be issued a new ballot. Once Public Act 81 takes effect, they may either submit their voted absentee ballot for tabulation at the early voting site or Election Day polling place or they may “spoil” their absentee ballot and be issued a new ballot.
Absentee voting in Michigan is a secure and time-tested system based on standards for election security adopted from national best practices. Absentee voting security measures include:
Absentee ballots take time to securely process and count. To ensure timely results, many states allow clerks a week or more to process absentee ballots prior to Election Day. For example, Florida allows clerks to process absentee ballots for one month before an election.
In Michigan, clerks in cities and townships with a population of 10,000 residents or more can begin pre-processing absentee ballots up to two days before an election between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Once Public Act 81 takes effect, cities and townships with a population of 5,000 residents or more may establish an Absentee Voting Counting Board (AVCB) to process and tabulate absentee ballots during any of the eight days before an election between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Public Act 81 will also allow all cities and townships, regardless of population, to establish an AVCB to process and tabulate absentee ballots on the Monday before an election between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.
In Michigan, local clerks are trained in signature verification by the Michigan Bureau of Elections. Local clerks must review and compare the signature on each absentee ballot to the signature on the return envelope, and to the voter’s signature on record to confirm its validity. The signature on record for a voter is typically the signature provided on a Michigan driver’s license or state ID, or as provided on the voter registration application.
Ballots are rejected when they lack a matching signature, and voters are given an opportunity to cure a missing or non-matching signature.
Voting in another person’s name is illegal and charges are brought against people who attempt to apply for a ballot in someone else’s name. Anyone with evidence of voter fraud should report it to law enforcement in writing for investigation.
No. Michigan uses a secure voter records database, called the Qualified Voter File, that tracks when a voter has submitted a ballot. This ballot information is used by local clerks and election workers to prevent the issuance of duplicate ballots.
Each time a ballot is issued, the ballot number and the name of the voter it is issued to is recorded in the QVF. If a voter requests a second ballot, the entry for the first ballot would be flagged, and the clerk would invalidate the first ballot before issuing a new ballot.
Voters who have cast an absentee ballot and then choose to vote at an early voting site, or at the polls on Election Day, will have their absentee ballot invalidated before they can vote in person.
Michigan uses death data from the Social Security Administration Master Death Index to regularly remove the names of individuals who are deceased from the Qualified Voter File, a secure voter records database. Local clerks may also identify deceased individuals in their communities and remove that individual’s record.
If a living voter casts an absentee ballot prior to Election Day and the clerk learns they have died before the ballot is tabulated, the deceased voter’s ballot is rejected and will not be counted. This procedure regularly results in the rejection of thousands of ballots during statewide and federal elections.
There are safeguards in place to ensure an absentee ballot cannot be voted on behalf of another individual (deceased or otherwise), including a signature match performed on the signed absentee ballot envelope.
