Donna Miller
- Jan 30, 2022
- 7 min read

Vote Voiced Voting in Michigan 2022 Booklet

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Voting in Michigan

Qualifications to Register and Vote in Michigan

Voter registration is a 5-step process in Michigan.

Step 1: Verify you are eligible

Proof of eligibility: To be eligible to register to vote you must be:

A Michigan resident (at the time you register) and a resident of your city or township for at least 30 days (when you vote)
A United States citizen
At least 18 years of age (when you vote)
Not currently serving a sentence in jail or prison

You can register when you are 17.5 years old, but you can’t vote until you’re 18.

Proof of residency if registering within two weeks of Election: If you register within 14 days of Election Day, you must show proof of where you live. Documents must have your name and current address. You can show a digital copy of documents. Acceptable documents include:

Michigan driver’s license or state ID
Current utility bill
Bank statement
Paycheck or government check
Other government documents

Step 2: Fill out an application

You can register by one of the following methods:

Online at Michigan.gov/VoterRegistration
At a Secretary of State branch office
At your city or township clerk’s office or your county clerk’s office
At any state agency that provides public assistance or services to people with disabilities
By mailing in a completed voter registration application postmarked at least 15 days before the election; or,
Through a voter registration drive

Within 14 days before the election, all applications must be submitted to your local city or township clerk’s office in person.

Step 3: Submit your application

Submitting your application online:

To submit your application online, visit the online voter registration section of this website.

Submitting your application in person:

If you hand-deliver your application to the city/township clerk, the staff person helping you will take your form and you don't need to do anything else.

Submitting your application via mail:

If you have never registered to vote in Michigan and choose to mail in your application, you will need to verify your identity by including the following:

Your Michigan driver's license or state ID number where requested on the form. OR

The last 4 digits of your Social Security number where requested on the form. OR

Send a copy (not an original document) of ONE of the following forms of identification

with your application

A photocopy of your Michigan driver's license or state ID, or

A photocopy of a paycheck stub, utility bill, bank document, or government document

that lists both your name and your address

Step 4: City/township clerk processes application

Your city or township clerk will send you a voter registration card upon processing your application. Keep it in your wallet or purse so you know where to go to cast your ballot. For directions and a map to your polling place, visit Michigan.gov/Vote.

Step 5: You are registered!

You’re all registered to vote! Learn about voting in person.

You can register at one of the following locations:

Online at Michigan.gov/VoterRegistration;
At a Secretary of State branch office;
At your city or township clerk’s office or your county clerk’s office;
At any state agency that provides public assistance or services to people with disabilities;
Through a voter registration drive; or,
By mailing in a completed voter registration application postmarked at least 15 days before the election.

Within 14 days before the election, all applications must be submitted to your local city or township clerk’s office in person.

If you're from Michigan and go to school here:

If you're from Michigan and go to a school outside the state:

If you're not from Michigan and go to school here:

If you have a Michigan driver’s license or state ID card, and you are registered to vote in Michigan, your voter registration address and the address on your ID will be the same.

If you change the address on one, it will automatically change the other. The Secretary of State will mail you a sticker with your new address to place on your license or ID card.

Note: Military and overseas civilian voters have additional options to register. Learn about military and overseas civilian voters.

To learn about registering to vote in Michigan, watch this short video.

Vote at Home (Absentee) In 2020 3.1 million voters in Michigan voted Absentee

Within two weeks of election day, to avoid possible postal delays, we recommend making your request in person at your local city or township clerk office. You’ll be able to fill out and submit your ballot while there.

Online – Registered voters can request an absentee ballot online through our absentee voter request form before 5 p.m. the Friday before the election.
Call your city or township clerk and ask that an application be mailed to you
Download an application to return by mail or in-person to your local city or township clerk
In-person at your local city or township clerk’s office
Call your city or township clerk and ask that an application be mailed to you
Download an application to return by mail or in-person to your local clerk or township

· When is the deadline to apply for an absentee ballot?

· Online and mail requests for an absent voter ballot must be received by your township or city clerk no later than 5 p.m. the Friday before the election. If you’re already registered at your current address, you can request an absent voter ballot in person at your clerk’s office anytime up to 4 p.m. on the day before the election.

· If you’re 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. If you request your AV ballot the day before the election or on Election Day, you must vote the ballot in the clerk's office.

· Your completed absentee ballot should be received by your city or township clerk by 8 p.m. on 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 returning your ballot within two weeks of election day, we recommend hand-delivering your ballot to avoid possible postal delays.

· Begin the process early by mailing in your application for an absentee ballot as soon as possible. Applications can be submitted up to 75 days before an election.

Mark your Ballot Sign and Seal the Envelope Return by the Deadline

All registered voters can track their ballot by looking up their information in the voter information section of this website.

If an emergency, like 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 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. Please contact your local clerk for more information about emergency absent voter ballots.

If a voter has already voted absentee and wishes to change their vote (because the candidate has dropped out of the race, or for any other reason), a voter can spoil their ballot by submitting a written request to their city or township clerk.

The voter must sign the request and state if they would like a new absentee ballot mailed to them or if they will pick it up in person at the clerk’s office.
This request must be received by 5 p.m. the Friday before the election if received by mail. An absentee ballot that has been returned to the clerk may be spoiled in person at the clerk’s office until 10 a.m. the Monday before the election. An absentee ballot that has not been returned to the clerk may be spoiled in person at the clerk’s office until 4 p.m. the Monday before the election.
If a voter has not returned his or her ballot, the voter can surrender the ballot or sign a statement stating that the ballot was lost or destroyed and vote at the polls. There is no option on Election Day to spoil an absentee ballot that has been received by the clerk.

· Accessible Ballot for Voters with Disabilities

· This application is for voters with print disabilities who would like an accessible electronic absent voter ballot. Print disabilities are disabilities that interfere with the effective reading, writing, or use of printed material. This definition includes persons who are blind or visually impaired, those with learning disabilities, as well those with a physical disability that interferes with withholding and manipulating paper or a pen or pencil. If you don’t have a disability, request your ballot using this form instead.

https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/avapplication

· Complete this form to apply for an accessible electronic absent voter ballot. You also have the option to have a link to this application emailed to you before each election by joining your clerk's permanent accessible absent voter application list. If you would like to join this list, select the box on the application.

· The deadline for submitting this form and having a ballot sent to you by email is 5 p.m. on Friday, February 25. You must include either your driver's license or personal identification card number or the last four digits of your social security number so that the clerk can verify your application. After you complete and submit this form, you will receive an email with a link to an accessible electronic absent voter ballot. Complete the ballot, print it, place it in an envelope, and sign the back of the envelope. To return the ballot envelope, mail or deliver the envelope to your local clerk so that it arrives by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1. Only you, a family member or person residing in your household, a mail carrier, or an election official are authorized to deliver your signed absent voter ballot envelope to your clerk's office.