How Michigan early voting works for the 2024 election
(CBS DETROIT) - For the 2024 presidential election, Michigan residents will have multiple ways to cast their votes, including early voting.
Early voting is the newest voting option in Michigan. In 2022, voters approved a constitutional amendment that gives Michigan residents the right to vote in person at early voting sites.
Here's what you need to know about early voting:
When does early voting start and end in Michigan?
Early voting begins across Michigan on Oct. 26 and ends on Nov. 3. The early voting period is held for nine days, but communities can decide to hold additional early voting days, up to 29 days total.
In Detroit, early voting begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19. Fourteen early voting sites will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday until Nov. 5.
Where can Michigan mail-in ballots be dropped off early?
Voters are also able to vote early with absentee ballots. After requesting an absentee ballot, voters can submit it by mail, by drop box or in person at the local clerk's office before Election Day.
If a voter receives an absentee ballot and doesn't want to use it, they must bring the absentee ballot to an early voting location and surrender it. After surrendering the absentee ballot, the voter will be given a new ballot to complete and submit at the early voting site.
In addition, voters can bring their absentee ballots to early voting sites and submit them to a tabulator. This can be done after an election inspector verifies the absentee ballot is in the right location and they have the correct ballot number.
How to find the early voting locations in your Michigan county
There must be at least one early voting location available to all voters in every city and township. Communities in some counties may offer long early voting periods, with early voting locations opening before Oct. 26.
You can find out where your early voting location is on the Secretary of State's website. The number of early voting sites varies based on the area. Local clerks decide the number and location of early voting sites based on what works best for their communities.
Does Michigan release early voting results before Election Day?
Early voting results are not released before Election Day. At an early voting location, people submit ballots into a tabulator, just like they would at a polling place on Election Day. These ballots are kept in secure containers each night.
After the polls close on Election Day, the ballots that were submitted at early voting locations will be totaled and reported.
What's on the ballot in Michigan for the 2024 election?
Voters can find a sample ballot for any precinct in Michigan for the election online. There aren't any statewide ballot proposals in Michigan for the 2024 election.