April O'Neil / news@WHMI.com

With three weeks left until Election Day in Michigan’s Presidential Primary, nearly 1.3 million voters throughout the state have requested absentee ballots for the primary – an 80% increase over the same point before the 2020 Presidential Primary.

Starting this year, voters have new options for casting their ballot. Absentee voting is underway; in-person early voting begins statewide on Saturday, Feb. 17th; and Election Day is Tuesday, Feb. 27th.

According to the office of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, absent voter ballot request data shows that 1,287,265 Michiganders have asked for an absentee ballot as of Tuesday, Feb. 6th. As a comparison, 713,465 Michiganders had requested absentee ballots three weeks before the 2020 presidential primary.

In 2022, Michigan voters passed Proposal 2, which created a permanent mail ballot list. Voters can choose to automatically receive an absentee ballot and vote from home for every election.

Eligible Michigan residents can register by mail or online to vote through Feb. 12 or at their local clerk’s office through 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Under Michigan law, voters can cast a ballot for only one party’s candidates during the Presidential Primary and must select either a Democratic or Republican ballot before casting their vote. However, if the voter does not wish to participate in the presidential selection, and their jurisdiction has local contests to be decided, they can request a local-only ballot instead.

Michigan does not register voters by party – every voter is free to select a ballot from one of the two parties. Third-party or minor party presidential candidates are selected by a different process under Michigan law.

Voters can track their absentee application or ballot online at Michigan.gov/Vote or by contacting their local election clerk.

Absentee ballots have prepaid postage and can be returned by U.S. mail. Voters who still need to return their completed ballot can drop it off at their clerk’s office or designated secure ballot drop box to avoid postal delays.

More election information, including a sample ballot and how to contact your local clerk, can be found at the provided link.