(WWJ) More than a million Michigan voters have already taken advantage of absentee and early, in-person voting in the 2026 midterm election.
The Michigan Secretary of State's Office said Tuesday (10/27) that 1.4 million people have cast ballots so far, including more than 215,000 who voted at in-person sites. The vote totals are about 50,000 more than four years ago.
As of Tuesday, the SOS said nearly one million absentee ballots were still out with voters.
Election officials are encouraging those voters to put their ballots in a local ballot drop box or hand-deliver it to your clerk’s office to avoid possible postal delays. (Scroll down for more on this).
This comes after the Detroit City Clerk said a record number of Detroiters cast ballots on the first day of early, in-person voting in the city on Saturday.
Election Day is one week away, on November 3.
What is early voting? How does it work?
Michigan registered voters have the constitutional right to cast their ballots early and in person ahead of Election Day for all statewide and federal elections. Under state rules, every community must provide early in-person voting for at least nine consecutive days — beginning the second Saturday before an election and running through the Sunday immediately preceding Election Day — operating for a minimum of eight hours per day, with some jurisdictions choosing to offer expanded hours or additional days.
The in-person early voting experience closely mirrors voting on Election Day, with one key distinction: designated early voting locations may differ from a voter’s standard precinct polling place.
Voters check in at their assigned early voting site, mark their paper ballot, and feed it directly into a secure tabulator.'
Voters who already received an absentee ballot in the mail can also bring it with them to an early voting site to tabulate it in person or request a replacement ballot, as state law ensures only one ballot per voter is counted.
While votes are securely stored inside tabulators as they are cast, state rules mandate that no early voting results are tabulated or reported until after polls close on Election Night.
Early, in-person voting continues through November 1.
What should you do if your absentee ballot is still at home?
All registered Michigan voters have the right to vote absentee without providing an excuse. However, because Election Day is quickly approaching, election guidance strongly cautions against returning a completed absentee ballot by mail, as postal transit times mean it may not reach election officials in time.
To be counted, completed absentee ballots must be received by your local city or township clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 3.
If your absentee ballot is still sitting on your counter, you have several secure, in-person options to ensure your vote is counted:
- Use an official ballot drop box: Seal your completed ballot inside its provided return envelope, sign and date the outside of the envelope, and place it into an authorized, secure drop box in your jurisdiction before the 8:00 p.m. deadline on Election Day.
- Hand-deliver it to your clerk’s office: Bring your signed and sealed return envelope directly to your city or township clerk’s office during business hours or up until 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
- Tabulate it at an early voting site: Take your absentee ballot with you to your designated early voting location through November 1. Election workers can process your ballot and let you feed it directly into the tabulator just like a standard in-person voter.
- Bring it to your polling place on Election Day: If you wait until November 3, bring your absentee ballot with you to your assigned precinct. Poll workers can surrender and spoil your absentee ballot and issue you a fresh in-person ballot to vote right there in the booth.
Before returning an absentee ballot in its envelope, ensure your signature is clearly written on the designated line on the back of the envelope, as local election workers verify every voter signature against the signature on file before the ballot can be tabulated.
Voters can look up official drop box locations, find their clerk’s office hours, or track their ballot's receipt status online through the Michigan Voter Information Center.
