Election season is upon us once again and, in Michigan, there are multiple ways to vote.
Ahead of the Tuesday, Aug. 4 statewide primary election, eligible Michiganders can request an absentee ballot to fill out and cast their votes. State law mandates that local election officials make absentee ballots available 40 days before an election. For the primary, absentee ballots must be made available to voters on Thursday, June 25.
Voters also have the option, of course, to vote in person on Election Day at their polling place. Michigan also offers nine days of early voting ahead of elections. For the August statewide primary, the mandatory early voting period runs from Saturday, July 25, to Sunday, Aug. 2.
Voting absentee in Michigan elections is straightforward. Here’s a quick guide on requesting and returning an absentee ballot:
How to request an absentee ballot in Michigan
If you would like to request an absentee ballot, there are multiple ways to do so in Michigan.
Absentee ballots can be requested online at michigan.gov/vote by filling out the online application and having your absentee ballot mailed to you. The online form must be submitted before 5 p.m. on the Friday ahead of Election Day.
You also can print out the application online and return the completed form to your local clerk’s office. If you’re unsure where your local clerk’s office is, that can also be found at michigan.gov/vote.
Registered voters can also call their clerk’s office and request an absentee ballot be mailed to them.
You can also visit your local clerk’s office and request an absentee ballot in person up until 4 p.m. the day before an election.
How to return an absentee ballot
Absentee ballots must be received by your local clerk’s office by 8 p.m. Election Day, when polls close.
Absentee ballots can be mailed to your local clerk’s office, hand-delivered to your local clerk or returned by placing it in a secure drop box. Drop box locations for your city, township or village can be found at michigan.gov/vote.
Within two weeks of Election Day, officials recommend returning absentee ballots in person to avoid any potential delays with the mail.
What’s on the ballot
On the primary ballot this year are several notable races:
Depending on where you live, there could be primary or nonpartisan elections for local offices on the ballot, as well as potential local millage or bond proposals.
How primary voting works
Michigan has open primaries, meaning you do not have to register with a political party to vote in that party’s primary. But you can only vote in a single party’s primary — when you fill out your ballot at the polls, you’ll only be able to fill out a single party’s side on the partisan section of the ballot.
This means if you wanted to cast a vote in the Democratic Senate primary, for example, you’d have to cast votes in the other respective Democratic primaries on your ballot — otherwise, your votes in partisan primary races won’t count. Voters can vote in a party’s primary in the August election, but vote for a different party come November, should they choose to.
What if I change my mind on voting absentee?
If you have received your absentee ballot but have not yet submitted it, the ballot can be spoiled at your local clerk’s office up until 4 p.m. on the Monday before Election Day. For the primary, that’s Monday, Aug. 3.
Voters can also surrender their absentee ballots in person at their polling place on Election Day or an early voting site. If you’ve lost your ballot, or have not yet received it by Election Day, you can sign a statement at your polling place stating that the ballot was lost or destroyed and vote at the polls. An election worker will call the local clerk to verify that your absentee ballot has not been returned.
If I submitted my absentee ballot, can I still change my vote?
If you want to change your ballot — because a candidate has dropped out of their race or for another reason — you can spoil your absentee ballot.
Voters can spoil already submitted absentee ballots by submitting a written request to their local clerk’s office. The request has to be signed and state whether the voter wants a new ballot mailed to him or her or if he or she will pick it up from the clerk’s office in person. A request to spoil an absentee ballot that has already been returned must be submitted by 5 p.m. on the second Friday before Election Day. For the statewide primary election, that’s Friday, July 24.
Voters who cast their ballot at an early voting site or their polling location cannot spoil their ballot.
You can reach Arpan Lobo at alobo@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Your guide to absentee voting for the Michigan August primary election
Reporting by Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
