Filing for office, including petition signature requirements and political party status.
Elections administration, including the Election Inspector's Guide; absentee voting; and the Michigan Qualified Voter File.
Find information about the Board of State Canvassers and its meeting notices.
Title and registration requirements; special titles; name changes; address changes; license plate fees; insurance requirements; new Michigan residents; lost titles; lost license plates; and deceased vehicle owners.
Disability parking and placard information, disability parking, disability plate, disabled parking permit, and wheelchair.
Recreational vehicles such as snowmobiles, watercraft, ORVs, and trailers.
Operating requirements for agricultural vehicles on public roads - lighting, slow-moving vehicle emblems, and more.
The International Registration Plan (IRP) - a program for registering and licensing of commercial vehicles in interstate operations among member jurisdictions (states or provinces).
The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) online service for customers filing financial statements and liens through the Secretary of State.
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All registered voters in Michigan can vote at their polling place on Election Day.
Unregistered voters, or voters who have not updated their registration to their current address, must go to their local clerk’s office to register and may also vote at their clerk’s office using an absentee ballot.
A polling place is a location where voting takes place on Election Day. At each polling place, election inspectors (i.e. poll workers) are available to assist voters and run elections.
Voters can visit their assigned polling place on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time.
Before visiting a polling place: Voters should remember to do the following:
Check your voter registration status
No. Michigan law prohibits the following within 100 feet of a polling place:
Michigan has prohibited the practice of displaying election-related materials at the polls for decades. This includes clothing and buttons as well as materials such as pamphlets, fliers, and stickers. If you go to the polls with a shirt or button bearing election-related images or slogans, you will be asked to cover or remove it.
It is unlawful for a person to attempt, through menace or other means, to influence another person in how to vote, or to deter or interrupt another person in voting at an election. Federal statute prohibits threatening, intimidating, and coercing voters.
Voter intimidation may include:
Individuals witnessing or experiencing voter intimidation should report it at their polling place to an election worker, or to their local clerk. You may also contact the voter protection hotline at:
For information on firearms in a polling place please review the 2025 Secretary of State guidance on Current Voter Intimidation and Firearm Laws.
Legislation to restrict firearms in voting-related locations was signed by the governor in December 2024 and took effect April 2, 2025. Under Public Acts 157 and 158, possession of a firearm is prohibited within 100 feet of a polling place or early voting site when voting is occurring, within 100 feet of an absent voter drop box or clerk’s office for 40 days before the election, or in other voting-related locations, with limited exceptions, including for law enforcement.
Yes. Election observers are allowed in polling places to observe the voting process as permitted by Michigan Election Law. Election observers are not election workers and may not assist voters. Local clerks do not hire election observers.
Types of election observers include:
Voters are not required to possess a photo ID to vote in Michigan. Voters without a photo ID may sign an affidavit and will be issued a ballot.
By law, voters in possession of a photo ID must present it at the polls.
A photo ID presented at a polling place does not need to have the voter’s address on it. The name on the identification card can be a shorter form of the voter’s full name. For example, "Bill" for "William" and "Kathy" for "Katherine" are acceptable.
If a voter does not have photo ID, or if they forgot to bring their photo ID with them, they can still cast a ballot simply by signing an affidavit stating the voter is not in possession of a valid photo ID. Once the affidavit is signed, they may cast a ballot, and it will be counted with all other ballots on Election Day.
Additional questions regarding the voter identification requirement can be directed to your local city or township clerk’s office.
Locate your local clerk's office
A voter may use an expired Michigan driver's license or state ID as a valid form of photo ID. However any other type of photo ID (such as a driver's license from another state, photo ID issued by a local government or educational institution, etc.) must be current, and cannot be used as a valid form of photo ID if expired. To vote, a voter would be required to sign an affidavit stating the voter is not in possession of a valid photo ID.
As part of Michigan’s automatic voter registration law, when a registered voter updates their voter registration address, the voter’s driver’s license or state ID address is also updated.
To update voter registration, voters must “re-register” using updated information. Please view the voter registration section for options on how to register. Deadlines for voter registration also apply to individuals updating their voter registration.
Under Michigan's automatic voter registration law, when a voter updates the address on their voter registration, their address on their driver's license or state ID will also be updated. Additionally, if a change of address for a license or state ID is submitted to the Michigan Department of State, the address on the voter's voter registration will also be updated.
Eligible voters who are not currently registered to vote in Michigan, or who have not updated their registration with a current Michigan address, have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to visit their local clerk’s office to register to vote or update their registration address.
To vote, they may either request an absentee ballot and vote at their clerk's office or go to their polling place to vote if time allows. 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.
Check your voter registration status
Learn more about voter registration in Michigan
No, if the voter is already registered to vote at their current address, they are not eligible to request an absentee ballot on Election Day. In emergency situations only, a voter may apply for an absentee ballot from their local clerk's office as late as 4 p.m. on Election Day.
If an emergency or unexpected circumstance occurs that prevents a voter from reaching the polls on Election Day, they may request an emergency absentee ballot.
Requirements: The emergency must have occurred at a time which made it impossible for the voter to apply for a regular absentee ballot. Voters should contact their local clerk’s office immediately to request an emergency ballot.
Emergency circumstances may include, but are not limited to:
Deadline: Requests for an emergency absentee ballot must be submitted in writing to the local clerk no later than 4 p.m. on Election Day.
The clerk may deliver an emergency ballot to the applicant in person, through a deputy or an election assistant, or a person named by the applicant may pick up the ballot at the clerk's office. The voter should return the completed ballot in the sealed envelope provided and deliver it to the clerk's office in any manner the voter sees fit. To be valid, the ballot must be returned to the clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
A ballot is considered challenged or provisional when there is a need for more information from the voter in order to verify their eligibility to vote. Further information on each type of ballot is provided in this section.
If a voter’s ballot is designated as challenged or provisional at their polling place, at a clerk’s office, or at an absent voter counting board, the voter will be notified by election inspectors or their local clerk.
Voters can track the status of their ballot by visiting Michigan.gov/Vote.
Locate your local clerk's office
Election challengers, who are election observers, have the right to issue a challenge to a voter's eligibility to vote at the polls. The challenge must be based on good reason to suspect a violation of election law has occurred, usually based on prior knowledge about a voter's ineligibility.
Challengers may not issue a challenge for the purpose of delaying the voting process, based on race or appearance of a voter, or based on political affiliation or the voter’s ballot selection.
A permissible challenge will be examined further by election workers and the local clerk. This process may require the voter to confirm certain information to verify their eligibility under oath at their polling place. If a voter confirms their eligibility under oath, they will be issued a ballot that is marked as challenged. The voter may also need to take additional steps after voting to verify their eligibility and will be contacted by their local clerk with instructions.
If a voter whose eligibility is permissibly challenged refuses to take the oath or answer questions designed to verify the voter’s eligibility, the challenge is accepted, and the voter cannot cast a ballot.
A provisional ballot is a ballot requiring additional steps or information to confirm a voter’s eligibility to vote before the ballot can be counted.
A provisional ballot may be issued to a voter at a polling place if:
After casting a provisional ballot, a voter has 6 days to provide appropriate ID documentation to their city or township clerk.
If election officials can verify that a voter is registered to vote in the appropriate jurisdiction, the provisional ballot will count. A provisional ballot is rejected if a voter is not registered to vote or failed to provide proper identification and proof of residency.
Notice to voters who receive a provisional ballot
