ballotbymail.org · nonpartisan
Voting by mail in Michigan
Yes. Anyone can request a mail ballot. Any registered voter can request a mail (absentee) ballot, no reason needed. There's a deadline, so request early. Permanent mail ballot list available. Detroit voters: absentee ballots can't be returned at polling places on Election Day; use a drop box or the clerk's office.
Key dates
| Register to vote by | Mon, Oct 19 (same-day registration also available) |
| Mail ballot request received by | Fri, Oct 30, 5 p.m. |
| Early in-person voting | Thu, Sep 24 – Mon, Nov 2 |
| Mail your ballot by | Tue, Oct 27 (USPS: allow 7 days) |
| Election Day | Tue, Nov 3 |
| ID at the polls | Photo ID requested. Without one: Sign an affidavit before an election inspector and vote a regular ballot that counts; no follow-up (ballot is only subject to challenge under sec. 727). |
| Return rule | Received by your local clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day. |
| Fix a flagged ballot by | Fri, Nov 6 |
| Missed the request deadline? | Voters who become physically disabled, or are away because of sickness or a death in the family, after the regular deadline: by Tue, Nov 3, 4 p.m.. Voters who can't return the ballot by mail, in person or through family: clerk pick-up: by Fri, Oct 30, 5 p.m.. |
| Who can return it for you | Only certain people may return it for you. You, an immediate family member (including in-laws, grandparents and grandchildren) or someone who lives in your household may mail it or deliver it to the clerk's office or a city or township drop box; the clerk will pick it up on request before 5 p.m. the Friday before. Anyone else returning your ballot is breaking the law. No numeric limit stated. |
Steps
- Request your ballot now. Don't wait for the deadline.
- Confirm your registration and mailing address while you're at it.
- When it arrives, fill it out in blue or black ink and sign the envelope.
- Return it by drop box or in person if you can. Mail it at least a week early if not.
- Track it on your state's tracker until it shows received.
Don't get rejected
- Sign the envelope the way you signed your voter registration or driver's license. Your state compares them.
- Use the secrecy sleeve if one is included, then the return envelope. Don't tape anything.
- Keep the phone and email on your registration current. If there's a problem, that's how they reach you to fix it.
https://www.michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/absentee-voting
https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/Voter/Index
https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/Voter/Index
ballotbymail.org/state/mi
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Rules checked 2026-09-09; deadlines checked 2026-09-09. Sources: NCSL, Vote.org, CEIR, state election offices. The official site wins if anything differs. Free to copy and post.