New rule takes effect to start cancellation process for registered voters who haven’t cast a ballot in 20+ years
By Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson
LANSING, Mich. – Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced today in a video message that more than 2.1 million outdated voter registrations have been canceled since 2019 or are in the cancellation process. For the first time ever, this includes over 180,000 dormant registrations of people who haven’t voted in a single election in the last 20 years or longer, following the passage of a new administrative rule initiated by the Bureau of Elections (BOE).
“Since I took office, over 2.4 million eligible Michiganders have registered to vote,” said Secretary Benson. “That means we’re succeeding on both fronts, consistently adding new registered voters in accordance with the law while taking outdated registrations off the books with a scalpel, not a sledgehammer. Michigan has one of the highest voter registration rates in the county, and we have broken turnout records for the last three statewide elections in a row. Michigan is showing the country that states don’t have to choose between accessible high turnout elections and accurate voter lists. As Michiganders, regardless of where we live or how we vote, that is something we all can be proud of.”
Since 2019, state and local election officials have identified over 2.1 million voter registrations that are eligible for cancellation, and 1.5 million have been removed from the Qualified Voter File (QVF) – 500,000 more than under any previous Michigan secretary of state. An additional 600,000 registrations, including those of people who haven’t voted in 20 years or more, have been moved to inactive status. After receiving a notice from BOE, the law gives these voters two federal election cycles to either verify their status or vote in an election. If they don’t do either of those things in that time, BOE will take them off the voter rolls in accordance with state and federal law.
Michigan law allows voters whose registration is canceled to re-register at any time, including up to and on Election Day. Voters can also always check their registration status online at Michigan.gov/Vote or by contacting their local clerk.
For more information on the state’s voter list maintenance procedures, visit Michigan.gov/Vote.
