Absentee voting is available starting 40 days before Election Day, and no excuse is required. All voters must apply for an absentee ballot unless they are on the permanent mail ballot list. We encourage voters to submit their applications as soon as possible. You can return your absentee ballot application through the mail, in person at your local elections office, or online. Voted ballots from most absentee voters must be received by 8:00 pm on Election Day in order to be counted. You can sign up to track your absentee ballot and application on your Department of State website. All cities and townships can begin counting absentee ballots the Monday before Election Day. Cities and townships with a population of 5,000 or more can begin counting ballots as early as 8 days before Election Day.
Options to apply for an absentee ballot:
- Online - must be registered to vote in Michigan and have a valid Michigan driver’s license or state ID
- By Mail - submit a completed absentee ballot application to your local clerk. Once the ballot application has been processed, the absentee ballot will be mailed to you beginning 40 days before the election.
- By checking in with the poll workers and inserting your ballot into a tabulator at your In-person at your early voting site (up until the Sunday before Election Day)
- At your local clerk's office
- By checking in with the poll workers and inserting your ballot into a tabulator at your assigned polling place on Election Day (not available in the City of Detroit!)
You can sign up for the Permanent Mail Ballot List by checking the box on your absentee ballot application that says, “automatically send me an absent voter ballot for each future election for which I’m eligible.”
Deadline: Online absentee applications may be submitted until 5 p.m. the Friday before Election Day.
Options for returning an absentee ballot:
- By mail (not recommended within 14 days of an election)
- By dropbox in your city or township
- At an early voting site (up until the Sunday before Election Day)
- At a clerk's office
Deadline: After receiving your absentee ballot, you have until 8pm on Election Day to complete and return the ballot, unless you are serving in the military or living overseas. Absentee ballots from military and overseas voters must be postmarked by Election Day and received by your local clerk within 6 days of the election.
Emergency Absentee Ballot:
If you have an emergency that prevents you from going to the polls you may request an emergency absentee ballot. Requests must be submitted after the deadline for regular absentee ballots has passed (5pm on the Friday before Election Day) but before 4pm on Election Day. The emergency must have occurred at a time in which it made it impossible to get to the polls.
Additional Information
Those who requested an absentee ballot but end up voting in person: Do not mail a ballot and vote in person. If a voter who has been issued an Absentee Voter Ballot decides to vote at the polls, they can bring their absentee ballot with them and insert it into the tabulator. The voter must check in with a poll worker before doing so. Please note: This option is not available in the City of Detroit. If the absentee ballot was lost or destroyed, the voter should go to their polling place, fill out the Application to Vote, and then vote a regular ballot.
Overseas citizens and U.S. military personnel can find information on how to register to vote and request an absentee ballot at the Federal Voting Assistance Program