Voting in Michigan
Transcript
Right now, there are almost 8 million registered voters in the state of Michigan- I’ll let Emmanuel tell you how to become one of them! It’s quick, easy, and painless!
Before you begin, you’ll need to make sure that you are at least 18 years old, a current US Citizen, and a resident of Michigan. If you’re all three, Congrats- You can register to vote!
First thing you’ll have to do in order to vote is, obviously, register!
On mich.gov/vote, you can check to see the status of your registration!
If you aren’t registered, you can even fill out and submit a Voter Registration application completely online! Just make sure you have your drivers license, ID, and social security number handy!
But, if you’re feeling old school, you can download an application from the Michigan Secretary of state website, fill it out and drop it off or mail it to your local city clerk’s office.
Just remember to bring your drivers license or i.d!
Also- now in Michigan you can even register on election day. You just need to go to the city clerk’s office to do it! If you do register on election day, you’ll also cast your vote right there at the office!
This next part is optional, but I’ll let Rachel tell you all about Absentee Ballots!
If you don’t even wanna leave your house to vote, you can actually do it from home now! The long voting line days are over!
On mich.gov/vote, you can also fill out an absentee ballot application- entirely online- just like your registration.
Again, if you’re feeling old school, you can download an absentee ballot application from the Michigan Secretary of State website. Fill it out and follow the instructions for submission!
After that, you’re ready for election day!
Remember- if you have any questions you can always call your local city clerk.
Make sure you’re eligible to vote
You must be:
- A U.S. citizen
- 18 years old on or before election day
- At least a 30 day resident of the Michigan city or township you are voting in.
Be registered to vote
You can register:
- BY MAIL: You can mail your completed application to your local clerk’s office 15 days or more before an election.
- IN PERSON: You can register in person 15 or more days before election day by completing a voter registration application and turning it into your local clerk’s office.
- IN PERSON: You can register in person 14 or fewer days before election day by turning in a completed voter registration application AND presenting proof of Michigan residency (a driver's license or state ID with your address on it) to your local clerk’s office.
- IN PERSON: You can register in person on the day of an election by turning in a completed voter registration application to your local clerk’s office AND presenting proof of Michigan residency.
- ONLINE: You can register online up to 15 days before the election. This is only available to those with a Michigan driver’s license or a valid Michigan state ID.
You can register to vote if you are 17 only if you turn 18 on or before election day, more information on early registration can be found at the Michigan Voter Information Center. You can find both online and paper voter registration applications online at mi.gov/vote.
Vote absentee
Voting by mail allows you to cast your vote without going to your polling location. You can vote absentee:
- BY MAIL: You must complete an absentee ballot application and turn it into your city clerk no later than 5pm the Friday before election day. Alternatively, you can fill out an online absentee ballot application. Once you receive your absentee ballot, you must turn your absentee ballot into your city clerk by no later than 8pm on election day.
- IN PERSON: If you register to vote in person at your city clerk’s office, you can fill out an absentee ballot up until 8pm on the day of the election.
Absentee ballots can be tracked and applications can be found at mi.gov/vote.
Political Science
Political Science