The complete 2026 Michigan voter guide

• Full list of candidates for every race
• Republicans for governor: Mike Cox, John James, Perry Johnson, Aric Nesbitt, Ralph Rebandt
• Democrats for governor: Jocelyn Benson, Chris Swanson
• Attorney General: Doug Lloyd (R) v. Eli Savit (D)
• Secretary of State: Anthony Forlini (R) v. Garlin Gilchrist II (D)  
• US Senate: Democrats Abdul El-Sayed, Mallory McMorrow and Haley Stevens, Republican Mike Rogers 
• US House: Explore candidates in all 13 districts
• Michigan House: Candidates in all 110 districts
• Michigan Senate: Candidates in all 38 districts

• K-12 schools
• Health care
• Data centers
• Taxes 

Michigan generally requires a driver’s license or other valid photo ID to register to vote or to vote in elections. But in both cases, citizens without ID can sign an affidavit instead. Lying on an affidavit constitutes perjury, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison in Michigan.  

In all, 36 states require some form of ID to vote, and public opinion surveys consistently show high support for such laws. Michigan voters will consider a constitutional amendment in November that would require voter ID and mandate the Secretary of State to verify citizenship.

Proponents of ID requirements say they’re a simple step to deter fraud. Foes say there is little fraud and the laws are a burden on the dispossessed and could deter voter turnout.

Michigan is one of roughly half of the 50 states that allow same-day voter registration. While the Secretary of State’s office encourages Michigan voters to register to vote as early as possible, it isn’t too late until 8 p.m. on Election Day. Read more here. 

To register online or by mail, voters must vote at least 15 days prior to the election. 

To register online, eligible citizens need their Michigan driver’s license or state ID number. If a citizen doesn’t have this, they can still vote via mail or in person through completing a paper application.

Within 14 days of the election, which includes Election Day, the only way for voters to register is in-person by visiting the local clerk’s office with proof of residency documentation. This might include college or university documents, a Michigan driver license, a bank statement or another government document.

Yes. If you move within the same city, you need to update your registration with the municipal clerk. To do so online, complete this form.

Absentee voters can change their vote ahead of Election Day by spoiling their original ballot. To do so, voters must submit a written request to their local clerk by 5 p.m. the Friday before the election and clarify whether they’d like to pick up their new ballot in person or have it mailed. 

Don’t wait too long — an absentee ballot cannot be spoiled on Election Day if it’s already been received by the clerk. 

To check your ballot’s status or learn more about the voting process, visit Michigan Voter Information Center online.For information about write-in candidates, check out this manual.

Double voting is illegal, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison and a fine of up to $2,000. It’s a felony under federal law too, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. 

In Michigan, voters can vote in person or via absentee ballot, and state officials say there are safeguards to ensure residents don’t vote twice.

Even so, St. Clair Shores residents and voting officials were charged with crimes in 2024 after four voted both absentee and in-person. One man was sentenced to probation, while charges against the others were dismissed.

Michigan says it prevents double voting by giving workers at each site access to the Qualified Voter File, a database that tracks when a ballot is submitted. If a voter who has already cast an absentee ballot tries to vote a second time, the Qualified Voter File would show that, and the voter would not be issued a second ballot, according to the Secretary of State. 

In the event a voter managed to get a second ballot because their absentee ballot was mailed but not yet received, for instance, the state says the entry for the first ballot would be “flagged” in the Qualified Voter File, “and the clerk would invalidate the first ballot.” After the first ballot is invalidated, the clerk would issue a new ballot.

Michigan law requires election clerks to make their “best effort” to remove and reject absentee ballots cast by voters who subsequently die before Election Day. That happened 3,469 times in the 2020 presidential election. 

Between 8,000 and 9,000 Michigan residents die in a typical month, but not all of them are voting age or are registered to participate in elections. 

States vary on whether they count early ballots that are cast by voters who end up dying before Election Day. Ten states explicitly permit counting absentee ballots that were cast before a voter dies, but nine other states strictly prohibit it, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Attempted voting by noncitizens is illegal and rare, but not unheard of: In 2024, a Michigan review found 15 noncitizens attempted to vote in an election that drew 5.7 million voters. 

While US citizens who apply for a Michigan driver’s license are automatically registered to vote, multiple safeguards are supposed to prevent noncitizens from registering after they get a driver license.

Under current Michigan law, a person must provide documents showing their citizenship status – such as their birth certificate, social security number or passport – in order to obtain their license or state ID. 

The Secretary of State’s computerized license application system only allows U.S. citizens to become registered voters.

The system prevents voter registration for people providing noncitizen documents. Employees cannot manually override the system and must complete checks to ensure noncitizens have not been accidentally registered to vote.

Automatic voter registration was written into the Michigan Constitution as part of the 2018 “Promote the Vote” ballot proposal and expanded by lawmakers late last year. A report from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Election Lab shows similar laws exist in nearly half the states.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, automatic voter registration laws remove barriers to voter registration and improve election accuracy. Opponents say voters are provided insufficient notice of how they can opt out.To further safeguard against noncitizen voter registration, the Michigan Legislature recently approved an amendment to send registered voters a mail notice in 2025 that explains voter eligibility requirements and cautions that individuals must decline voter registration if they are not eligible to vote.

Rules for absentee drop boxes — where voters can return absentee ballots rather than mailing them — are governed by state law, so cities cannot simply make their own rules. 

Under current state law, every municipality must have at least one absentee ballot drop box, and larger municipalities must have one for every 15,000 registered voters.

Drop boxes must be accessible 24 hours a day, every day, for the 40 days before Election Day. They must also be accessible until 8 p.m. on Election Day. For a list of all absentee ballot drop boxes in Michigan, click here.

Michigan law holds that only members of your immediate family — in-laws, grandparents, grandchildren or an individual residing in your household — may return a ballot on your behalf. Handling a ballot for a non-relative is a felony punishable by up to four years in prison, a maximum $2,000 fine, or both.

Municipalities must have video monitoring on their drop boxes within 75 days of an election under a bipartisan law passed in 2020.

Michigan law requires all ballot drop boxes to be “securely locked” and affixed to the ground or another stationary object. They must be designed to stop someone from removing any absentee ballots or applications, when locked.

Only a city or township’s clerk, deputy clerk “or a sworn member of the clerk’s staff” can collect absentee ballots or applications from drop boxes under state law.

Except for absent voter ballot drop boxes located at a city or township clerk’s office or in an official satellite office, clerks must document each time absent voter ballot applications and absent voter ballot return envelopes are collected from an absent voter ballot drop box in that city or township. Clerks keep that information, which includes collection dates and drop box locations, for at least 22 months following the election.

If you are in jail or prison awaiting trial, you are eligible to vote by absentee ballot. Anyone serving a sentence in jail or prison after conviction cannot vote while incarcerated.

There is no state law requiring jails to facilitate voting, so access varies by facility. Advocates report limited access to absentee ballots and little voter registration support.

In Wayne County, there is a concentrated effort to help facilitate the vote: In 2022, some 500 people in jail voted, according to one estimate.

The Secretary of State warns that “if you wear a button or shirt bearing election related images or slogans, you will be asked to cover or remove it. You may carry literature for personal use only. You may not distribute it, display it or leave it at the polling place.”

Michigan requires a number of accommodations for those with disabilities to vote. The state has a separate ombudsman office to ease accessibility during elections. For information, click here.

Fraud exists, but multiple studies have found that it is exceedingly rare and does not occur enough to change results of elections.

Despite claims to the contrary, multiple studies — including those by conservative groups — have found few instances of fraud.

The right-leaning Heritage Foundation documented less than 20 cases of fraud in Michigan from 2007 to 2023, all of which resulted in criminal charges. The group points out that this is a sample and “demonstrates vulnerabilities in the election process.” 

A Republican-led investigation into Michigan’s 2020 presidential election confirmed the results, despite widespread Republican claims of vote rigging.The Associated Press reviewed every potential case of fraud in six states disputed by Donald Trump in the 2020 election and found fewer than 475 suspicious votes. The margin of victory in those states was more than 300,000 total votes.

Michigan requires testing of election equipment to ensure it’s reliable — and does so publicly. Likewise, voting machines must meet federal standards to minimize errors and produce a paper record for recounts and audits. 

Michigan also performs post-election audits of results, including a procedural audit “of the results in at least one race in each precinct randomly selected for audit and at least one statewide race or ballot question for statewide elections,” according to the group Verified Voting.To read more, check out this primer from the Bipartisan Policy Center.

• For state campaigns: Try searching a campaign finance database by the Secretary of State
• For state financial disclosures, try Michigan’s search portal
• Federal campaign finance: click here
• Personal finance disclosures for US Senate candidates here 

Personal finance disclosures for US House candidates here

It’s generally easier to find information about candidates running for statewide or federal office than local ones — or even the state Legislature. Here are a few resources.

• The League of Women Voters sponsors a website with candidate information on every race you’ll see on your local ballot. That website,  vote411.org also features responses from all candidates who answer survey questions issued by the organization.
• The Secretary of State has an online voter information guide to check whether you’re registered to vote, how to request an absentee ballot and what you’ll see on the ballot. Other good resources include Ballotpedia and VoteSmart.
• For those who like to hunt on social media, candidates often have election-specific Facebook pages and/or websites. 
• Likewise, an hour or so Googling candidates can provide a host of information about their past, whether they’ve made the news and link to their campaign websites.
• The Michigan Secretary of State’s campaign finance website has reports on who is donating to candidates and how they spend their money. Local candidates file campaign finance reports with county clerks and are typically available online. 
• Check your mail: Especially in busy races, campaigns send out a host of flyers or ads. They can be informative. But make sure you read with a skeptical eye, as the information often portrays candidates in the best — or worst — possible light.
• When all else fails, the best bet is often the simplest:  Talk to your neighbors and community members. Attend City Council meetings or community forums. And, especially for municipal issues, scour through meeting minutes or agendas that are available on city websites.