This story is one in a Lansing State Journal Q&A series about the upcoming election. Have a question about voting, ballots or results? Ask it in the form at the bottom of this story. We'll get you the answer.
Q: How soon can I vote in the November 2024 election?
Election Day is creeping up, but voters don't need to wait much longer to cast their ballot.
Michigan gives voters three options: They can go to their polling place on Election Day, vote in person but before Election Day or they can cast an absentee ballot.
And depending on which route they take, some can vote as soon as Sept. 26.
Absentee voting starts the soonest
Michigan's expanded, no-reason absentee voting means any registered voter can fill out an application for an absentee ballot and then cast their vote at their convenience, either by dropping it in the mail, into a secured drop box or with their local clerk.
Some voters may have even contacted their local clerks to put themselves on the permanent ballot list. Those voters will automatically be sent an absentee ballot before each election they're eligible to vote in.
By law, local clerks must have absentee ballots ready for voters beginning 40 days before the election. That means for the Nov. 5 election, voting starts on Sept. 26.
The Michigan Secretary of State's Office recommends voters place absentee ballots in drop boxes or hand-deliver them to their local clerk's office if doing so within two weeks of the Nov. 5 election to avoid possible mail delays.
Early, in-person voting starts in October
Michigan voters can also cast ballots in person before November.
The state's mandatory early voting went into effect earlier this year. Each municipality must offer at least nine days of early voting. For the November election, that means early voting will start, at the latest, on Oct. 26 and end on Sunday, Nov. 3.
Some municipalities will have early vote centers where any registered voter in the municipality can vote and others will use their office as the location.
And while early voting must be offered for nine days, clerks are allowed to extend that time to as soon as Oct. 7. Voters can find contact information for their local clerk online through the Secretary of State's Office .
Election Day is Nov. 5
When Nov. 5 rolls around, election workers and clerks will be hard at work processing and tabulating absentee votes, but more will need to be counted.
Registered voters who prefer the Election Day experience can go to their local polling place to cast their ballot. Same-day voter registration means residents eligible to vote can do so on Nov. 5 even if they need to re-register or are new to Michigan.
There's evidence that Michigan voters increasingly prefer the new options to vote before Election Day. The August primary election was the first with a mandatory nine days of in-person early voting and the state said that about two-thirds of all votes came in before Election Day, with the majority being absentee votes .
Local election clerks, the officials chiefly responsible for election administration in Michigan's decentralized system, have encouraged early and absentee vote options as ways to lessen the rush of activity on Election Day.
Voters curious about what's on their ballot can find Lansing area ballot information at the Lansing State Journal website or can get that information through the state Secretary of State website .
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Contact reporter Matt Mencarini at 517-377-1026 or mjmencarini@lsj.com .
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Election Q&A: How soon can I vote in the November 2024 election?
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