Michigan
How to vote and when to do it: A Michigan primary primer
LANSING, MI — Though Tuesday, Feb. 27, is the official date for Michigan’s presidential primary this year, voters statewide have more options than ever for casting ballots ahead of time.
From who’s on ballot to how to cast one, here’s what you need to know about this month’s election.
What’s this election about?
Michiganders will get a chance to cast their votes in the upcoming presidential primary on Tuesday, Feb. 27.
The primary is a closed one, meaning voters must either opt for a ballot comprising solely Democratic or Republican candidates when either at the polls or voting absentee.
Who’s on my ballot?
On the Democratic side, voters can choose from President Joe Biden and U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota.
Marianne Williamson, an author and speaker, will also appear on Michigan’s Democratic primary ballot despite dropping out of the race Feb. 7.
On the Republican side, there will be a slew of names on the ballot come election day, though only two are actually still in the running: former president Donald Trump and ex-U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
As with Williamson, candidates like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will still appear on Michigan’s Republican primary ballot since they dropped out of the race after Michigan’s printing deadline.
So what does that mean for me?
Nothing much will change for Democrats with respect to the primary. That’s to be expected, considering Michigan’s Democratic legislature was the one to push for the new primary date in 2023.
For Republicans, however, the move is a bit more complicated.
When taking to the polls later this month, voters will see little difference from presidential primaries of years past. Behind the scenes, though, the Michigan Republican Party has worked with the Republican National Committee for months to finalize a hybrid caucus and primary plan.
Michigan Republicans’ internal presidential caucus would be tied for fifth in U.S.
A candidate needs to secure at least 1,215 delegates nationally to secure the Republican Party’s nomination. In Michigan, 55 of those delegates are up for grabs.
With the dual system implemented in 2024 – done to avoid Michigan Republicans being penalized for holding a primary prior to March 1, which violates RNC rules –16 of those 55 delegates will be awarded through a proportional system based on the Feb. 27 results. In order to win a delegate in the February election, a candidate will need to win at least 12.5% of the vote.
The remaining 39 delegates would then be allocated in closed caucuses, held in each of Michigan’s 13 congressional district Republican parties. The RNC has reportedly approved a plan where officials in each congressional districts will vote how to award three delegates apiece.
Where can I check if I’m registered to vote?
Michiganders can check online with the Department of State to see a number of things, including:
- Whether they are registered to vote;
- Where their nearest ballot drop boxes are;
- Where their polling place is located, if voting in person, and;
- Where their local clerk’s office is.
How can I vote?
There are several ways Michiganders can cast their ballots later this month.
No reason absentee: Since 2018, Michiganders have been able to vote absentee without needing a reason to do so. Registered voters can request an absentee ballot online through the state’s online absentee voter request form. The last day to do so is prior to 5 p.m. the Friday before an election.
Forms to request an absentee ballot – which must be returned to your local clerk either in person or by mail to get an absentee ballot – are available to download online in English, Arabic, Bengali, Farsi, Spanish and in large print format. You can also call your city or township clerk and ask that an application for an absentee ballot be mailed to you if unable to print one.
For those who have already requested an absentee ballot, the state began mailing out those forms Jan. 18. Should you have already mailed yours back in, and are curious if that’s been received yet, you can check the status of your absentee ballot online.
Voters will have until 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16 to spoil an already mailed absentee ballot, but would need to do so via in-person written request in order to receive a new ballot from their clerk’s office.
It’s recommended to turn in absentee ballots by hand to your local clerk’s office if doing so within two weeks of election day.
Early in-person: Effective Saturday, Feb. 17, voters may vote in-person ahead of the actual primary date. The last day to vote early, according to the Department of State, is Sunday, Feb. 25.
To find out where that’s available to you, click here.
On election day: Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time. You have the right to vote if you are in line by 8 p.m. Click here to figure out where your polling location is.
Why so many options to vote this year?
In 2022, 60% of voters approved Proposal 2, a constitutional amendment to expand voting rights in the state of Michigan.
As part of that amendment, the move:
- Recognizes the fundamental right to vote without harassing conduct;
- Requires military or overseas ballots to be counted if postmarked by election day;
- Allows voters to verify identity with photo identification or signed statement;
- Provides the right to a single application to vote absentee in all elections.
- Require state-funded absentee-ballot drop boxes, and postage for absentee applications and ballots
- Dictates that only election officials may conduct post-election audits;
- Requires nine days of early in-person voting;
- Allows donations to fund elections, which must be disclosed, and;
- Requires canvass boards to certify election results based only on the official records of votes cast.
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As temperatures rise in Michigan each summer, so to do the chances of harmful algal blooms (HABs) developing in our lakes, causing a risk to both ecosystems and public health.
HABs are formed wherever there is rapid growth of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, which are naturally found in lakes, rivers and ponds. Some cyanobacteria found in blooms contain toxins that can be harmful to people and animals, and often present as blue-green, yellow or brown streaks, foam, or thick paint-like scums on the water surface, according to the Michigan Departments of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)
To help keep track of these harmful algal blooms across the state, EGLE has teamed up with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to update its online reporting form to include harmful algal blooms. Now the public can easily report suspected HABs to the state by filling out the form at Michigan.gov/HABs. Individuals can also make a report by calling EGLE’s Environmental Assistance Center at 800-662-9278.
“This new online form is an easy and efficient way for Michiganders to help monitor and safeguard our water resources,” said Jerrod Sanders, director of Water Resources Division at EGLE, in a news release. “This tool improves efficiency and helps us respond to potential risks more effectively.”
It will also allow EGLE and MDHHS staff to better understand how HABs develop, and creates the potential to send out public notifications about what areas to avoid as a way of keeping people and pets safe when they’re detected.
Breathing in or swallowing water with HAB toxins can cause asthma-like symptoms, difficulty breathing, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, runny eyes and nose, weakness, headaches or dizziness. Skin contact can also cause rashes, blisters or hives.
“If you had contact with or swallowed water with a suspected HAB and feel sick, call your health care provider or seek medical attention as soon as possible,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive.
Locations of HAB reports verified by EGLE and results of cyanotoxin testing will be displayed on the Michigan Harmful Algal Bloom Reports Map for the public to review.
For more information on health effects, causes and reports on the occurrence of HABs in Michigan lakes, visit Michigan.gov/HABs.
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KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Beach season is here, and Lake Michigan is the most popular of the Great Lakes for swimming. However, it can also be the most dangerous.
According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, 81 people drowned in the Great Lakes in 2025. 36 of those drownings, or almost half, happened in Lake Michigan.
“Even an Olympic swimmer is not going to swim against the rip current,” Pat Whelan, Plainwell district supervisor for the Michigan DNR Parks and Recreation Division, said.
What makes a rip current so dangerous is the natural instinct to try and swim back to shore. However, it is not the way to escape.
“It’s a term called ‘flip, float, and follow,’ where you flip on your back so you can breathe,” Whelan said. “Follow that, float on the top of that current and follow it out into the lake until you can feel it release you. Then you’re going to swim parallel to the shore, and then the waves themselves will help push you back into the shore.”
It’s been more than 20 years since Andy Fox, 17, drowned in a rip current at Grand Haven State Park, but the pain is still fresh for his mother, Vicki Cech, who rarely goes to the beach.
“When I have company in, sometimes I’ll walk out on the pier, but as a rule I just don’t go there anymore,” Cech said. “Not that beach, because that one does have a lot of sad memories for me.”
Pictured is Andy Fox, 17, in this undated photo. Fox drowned in a rip current at Grand Haven State Park in 2006. (Cech/WWMT)
Compared to other Lake Michigan beaches, Grand Haven State Park has added safety features as conditions are known to change rapidly.
Grand Haven uses the color warning system, but at other beaches, they have flags.
At Grand Haven State Park, however, there is an electronic lighting system on an orange tower. When the life ring on that tower is pulled, Ottawa County dispatch is alerted right away.
Blue towers on the beach are equipped with cameras, providing a video feed of what is happening where the life ring was pulled.
Electric lights instead of flags are used to alert people of swimming conditions at Grand Haven State Park.
“They can push the bottom and actually talk back and forth with central dispatch,” Whelan said.
Alongside these additions, Cech would like to see lifeguards on Grand Haven’s beaches.
“I know there’s all kinds of different things we have down there. Life rings closer to the water and everything like that,” Cech said. “But I’d say the only thing which I see South Haven has finally gotten lifeguards, the ultimate would be lifeguards.”
Michigan got rid of lifeguards at state parks in the 1990’s. The DNR said it was a combination of cost and liability concerns.
South Haven, however, welcomed lifeguards back to the city’s beaches for the first time in 25 years on Monday.
Those lifeguards do not yet have chairs and towers yet, but they will be posted between each flag section, with green, yellow and red colors marking that day’s swimming conditions.
More information about the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project can be found online.
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