Michigan

Here’s how to get an absentee ballot for Michigan’s Aug. 6 primary election

Published

7 months ago

June 23, 2024

Here’s how to get an absentee ballot for Michigan’s Aug. 6 primary election

Want to vote in Michigan’s August primary election, but won’t be in town? Want to spend some time with your ballot at home? Or you remembered it’s hot and humid in Michigan in August, and you don’t want to step outside your house?

Good news: You can instead vote with an absentee ballot by mail or in person at your local election clerk’s office.

In Michigan, you don’t need a reason to request an absentee ballot. The state is one of 28 with what is called “no-excuse” absentee voting, which is pretty much what it sounds like: You don’t need a specific reason to ask for an absentee ballot.

Registered voters who have already completed applications to receive an absentee ballot for the upcoming Aug. 6 primary should start receiving their ballots in the mail this week.

Here’s how to vote absentee from home, vacation or in-person at your clerk’s office:

How I can request a Michigan absentee ballot?

The simplest way to get an absentee ballot in Michigan is to request one online through the Secretary of State’s office at mvic.sos.state.mi.us/AVApplication.

To fill out that form, confirm your citizenship and authorize the Secretary of State’s office to send your digital signature (stored from your state ID or driver’s license) to your city or town. Fill out your info, matching it exactly to your driver’s license. From there, confirm your address and which elections you’d like a ballot for — there’s an election in August as well as in November. Here, you can confirm you want to join the “permanent ballot list,” which means you’ll automatically get an absentee ballot application in each election. Confirm your address, add your personal contact information, then submit. The process takes however long it takes you to fish out your driver’s license plus maybe two minutes.

It’s best to do this at least 15 days before an election to give your local clerk enough time to send you your ballot and to give yourself enough time to return it. Online applications can be submitted as late as 5 p.m. as the Friday before the election, but that might be cutting it close.

For the Aug. 6 election, absentee ballots come available June 27.

I don’t want to request my ballot online.

There are other options as well. You can request one by mail. Fill out the application found at michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/voters in whatever language is best for you (options include Arabic, Bengali, Farsi, Spanish, English and large-print English, as well as an accessible electronic application). Mail it in following the directions on the application or take it to your city, village or township clerk’s office in person.

It’s important you give your application enough time to arrive. They are due to your clerk’s office by 5 p.m. the Friday before the election (Aug. 2 for this upcoming primary). They can be returned by mail or in person, but the deadline is the same.

If you’re cutting it a little close or don’t want to use the mail, you can request your ballot in person at your clerk’s office. (If you’ve recently moved or you’re not otherwise registered, you can also do this at clerk’s office.) You can find your closest clerk by putting in your address at mvic.sos.state.mi.us/Voter/Index/#yourclerk.

How do I fill out an absentee ballot in Michigan?

The actual candidates and issues you choose are up to you, of course. But it’s important you follow some specific requirements so that your vote doesn’t get thrown out.

There will be written instructions included with your ballot. If you have questions, you can reach out to your local clerk.

After that, make sure you put it in the secrecy sleeve which will come included with your ballot, and then in the return envelope. From there, you have to sign and date the return envelope. Make sure you sign in the right place with your signature on file (although you’re allowed to sign with a shortened version of your name, as long as the signature resembles the original — the Secretary of State’s office specifically lists “Bill” instead of “William” as an acceptable substitution) and list the correct date.

From there, you can drop it in the mail. It will be counted as long as it’s postmarked by Election Day and received within six days of the election. You can also drop it off in person, if you’d prefer, at the clerk’s office or at a drop box located around your city. You can look up those locations on the Secretary of State’s website.

More: ‘Whole new world’: 9 ways Michigan elections have changed

How can I trust my absentee ballot made it on time?

Registered voters can track their ballots through (you guessed it) the Secretary of State’s website. Put in your information, and there will be a box on the top right of the screen that will note whether your clerk has received your application or your ballot.

That website also lists drop box locations and when they’re accessible, as well as your polling place if you’d like to go in person.

When will my ballot be counted?

If you live in a town or city with more than 5,000 people, your municipality may create what’s known as an Absentee Voter Counting Board. This group of election workers processes ballots for up to eight days before an election. (Smaller towns can also do this starting on the Monday before the election.)

Ballots that arrive within six days after Election Day but are still postmarked properly will be counted after.

More: Early voting. Absentee. Election Day votes. How ballots are counted in Michigan

Is absentee voting secure?

There are a lot of different systems in place to ensure that absentee voting is as secure as standard operation.

Clerks compare signatures between ballots and the signatures on file to compare, for example. The secrecy envelope helps to keep your vote private. Votes from people who die before Election Day, as long as the clerk is able to learn they are dead, are rejected.

Michigan also uses something called the “qualified voter file” that tracks when a voter has turned in their ballot. It prevents clerks from issuing more than one ballot and also flags to them when more than one ballot from the same person has been returned. If someone were to request a second ballot after returning the first, the first is invalidated.

The Secretary of State’s office has a robust webpage dedicated to answering other questions about election security at michigan.gov/sos/elections/security.

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Michigan

USC Trojans Michigan, Texas Recruiting No. 1 Hawaii Prospect Malakai Lee

Published

10 hours ago

January 26, 2025

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USC Trojans Michigan, Texas Recruiting No. 1 Hawaii Prospect Malakai Lee

The USC Trojans are off to a hot start for recruiting the class of 2026. Offensive tackle Malakai Lee is the No. 1 player in Hawaii in 2026, and he is beginning to make his final list of top schools.

Lee is the No. 14 offensive tackle and the No. 176 recruit in the nation per 247Sports. The 2026 offensive tackle plans to narrow down his list of schools by the end of January. He has visited a couple of schools, and coaches have gone out to see him. Narrowing down his list early will help him figure out which schools he would like an official visit with.

“We’re actually planning to narrow it down at the end of the month after all the coaches have come through,” Lee told 247Sports. “But we definitely want to cut things down and make things easy on us.”

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore shakes hands with USC head coach Lincoln Riley after 27-24 win at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Being a Hawaii local, narrowing down schools before an official visit will make it easier for Lee. Lee visited schools last season and will use the next few months to narrow down his final schools.

Among the schools that have picked up steam for the offensive tackle is the USC Trojans. Tennessee, Utah, Texas, and BYU have also visited Lee in the last couple of weeks. Lee also said that Michigan coach Sherrone Moore will be visiting soon, and he is interested in Nebraska as well.

“Coach (Johnny) Nansen from Texas came through on Friday and coach (Zach) Hanson from USC also came by,” said Lee.

Lee did get the chance to visit schools throughout the season, including the USC Trojans. Lee attended USC’s game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Though the Trojans lost the match, Lee was able to attend a historic rivalry matchup.

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Lee spoke to 247Sports after the visit, calling it an awesome trip.

“I know there’s bad blood between Notre Dame and USC, so the fans from both teams were ready to go. I was just stoked to be there. USC definitely knows how to host a party. The pre game area for recruits was fire. I had a chance to get to know some of the other recruits which was cool,” Lee said. “This was my first time in the Coliseum, walking into that stadium, you can feel the energy.”

Outside of attending a rivalry game, Lee spoke about USC’s coaches and the rest of the staff, giving them immense credit for how he and his family were treated. USC coaches Lincoln Riley and Josh Henson made sure to make Lee feel welcome.

“The coaches and staff at USC really took great care of us and I can’t wait to get back there,” Lee said. “I also really enjoyed getting to know coach (Lincoln) Riley and coach (Josh) Henson.”

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Texas A&M Aggies in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC worked hard to impress their recruits that day, hosting pregame festivities and the offensive lineman went bowling and had dinner with Elijah Paige. Lee had the chance to see the campus, meet the coaches, and bond with other recruits.

Lee went into his plan for the decision process and after he commits.

“When I cut the list, it will be to five and then I’ll take official visits to five schools,” said Lee. “Then we’re aiming towards the end of June or July for a decision.”

Lee is planning to graduate in December after he commits and enroll that month. This will give him a chance to get to the university quickly and attend the school’s bowl practices. With Lee’s finalists coming out in the coming weeks, USC will be a school to watch for as they continue to build up their class of 2026 recruits.

MORE: No. 1 Cornerback Recruit Duvay Williams Commit To USC Trojans, Georgia Bulldogs?

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MORE: USC Trojans’ Lincoln Riley, Staff Visit 5-Star Recruit Elbert Hill, Kelvin Obot

MORE: Reggie Bush Dreams Of Coaching USC Trojans: ‘I Can Help Win National Championships’

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Michigan

Spectacular Aerial Footage Shows Frozen Lake Michigan

Published

18 hours ago

January 26, 2025

Press Room

Spectacular Aerial Footage Shows Frozen Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan’s frozen surface created a spectacular landscape in late January after an extended stretch of winter weather. Aerial footage captured by Brendan Walsh shows a vast expanse of ice stretching to St Joseph’s lighthouse, creating a striking scene. The National Weather Service reported that ice cover on the Great Lakes was about average for this time of year, with Lake Michigan covered by over 20 percent around that date. Credit: Brendan Walsh via Storyful

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Michigan Tops No. 8 Army, No. 13 Springfield Behind Season-High Score – University of Michigan Athletics

Published

1 day ago

January 25, 2025

Press Room

Michigan Tops No. 8 Army, No. 13 Springfield Behind Season-High Score – University of Michigan Athletics

Site: Springfield, Mass. (Blake Arena)
Scores: #7 Michigan 318.050, #8 Army 307.050, #13 Springfield College 299.550
Records: U-M (4-1), Army (3-5), Springfield (1-8)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Jan. 25 — at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 2 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan men’s gymnastics team got back to its winning ways, earning a season-high score of 318.050 to defeat No. 8 Army (307.050) and host No. 13 Springfield College (299.550) in a tri-meet at Blake Arena.

The Wolverines took five event titles, sweeping the podium on high bar and floor exercise. Carson Eshleman continued his breakout debut season, earning a pair of titles on the parallel bars (13.250) and still rings (14.100). Fred Richard returned to the lineup for the first time this season, earning the vault and high bar titles.

How it Happened

Still Rings
U-M opened the meet with Robert Noll leading off the rotation and posting a score of 13.200. Eshleman earned a season-high score of 14.100 on his way to the event title, with Rithik Puri also seeing a season-high score (13.500) to finish second.

Floor Exercise
Syam Buradagunta and Jake Islam led off, each scoring a 13.300 to tie for second. Charlie Larson took the event title with a score of 14.050, improving by 0.400 points from his debut performance at the Windy City Invitational (Jan. 18).

Pommel Horse
Junior Zach Granados made his season debut to open the rotation, scoring a 13.200 to tie for third. Richard was U-M’s top scorer on the apparatus with a 13.750, closing out the event. Army’s Maddox Pabellon won the event title with a 14.000. Through the first three rotations, the Wolverines led with a score of 158.550.

High Bar
The Maize and Blue swept the podium, with Noll once again leading off the rotation and finishing second (13.400). Eshleman finished third with a score of 13.350 while Richard earned his first event title of the day with a score of 13.850. Noll, Eshleman, and Evgeny Siminiuc (12.300) each earned a stick bonus on the event.

Vault
Michigan’s strongest event of the day came on vault, scoring 54.100 and putting two Wolverines on the podium. Islam led off the event and earned a third-place finish, scoring a season-high 13.700. Richard closed the rotation with a 14.000, earning a stick bonus on his way to an event title.

Parallel Bars
Two Wolverines took the event title on the final rotation, with Eshleman and Kyle Walchuk each scoring a 13.250. Solen Chiodi finished fourth (13.150), just 0.050 points behind third-place finisher, Army’s Conor Heary.

Up Next

Michigan will stay on the road, heading to State College, Pa., to open its Big Ten schedule at Penn State on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 4 p.m.

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