MetroCreative Voters intending to vote absentee in Michigan must register for a new absentee voter list with their City/Township clerk by Dec. 31, 2024.

Planning to vote absentee or early next year? Pay attention. The voting law has changed in Michigan, and if you don’t follow the new guidelines, you may not be able to vote.

In 2022, Michigan voters passed a referendum known as Proposal 2. It makes two significant changes to the voting law, regarding early voting and absentee voting.

There are three different ways to vote: absentee voting, early voting or casting a ballot in person at the polls on election day. But voters need to be aware of important changes to the absentee voting and early voting process.

The absentee ballot list now in use will be replaced with a permanent absentee voter list. Voters will no longer have to apply for an absentee ballot for every election. But they must apply to be put on the permanent absentee voter list. Then they will automatically receive an absentee ballot for each state and federal election.

Voters will have until December 31, 2024 to inform their City/Township Clerk that they wish to go on the permanent absentee mailer list, Houghton County Clerk Jennifer Kelly explains.  Any absentee voter who is away for the winter or any other time that an election occurs will have to advise their city or township clerk in advance of their temporary address. Absentee ballots cannot be forwarded, Kelly warns.

There will be one early voting center for the entire county, on the 2nd floor of the Houghton City Hall on Sheldon Avenue. Early voting will begin on Saturday, February 17, 2024 and continue through Sunday, February 25, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Voters using the early voting center will put their ballot through a tabulator.  Once the ballot goes through the tabulator, if a candidate is removed from the ballot for any reason, a voter will not be able to revote. 

Houghton City Clerk Ann Vollrath and other city and township clerks drafted a letter explaining the changes in the law, which they sent to all their voters.

“The new law requires nine days of early voting for federal and state elections, including two weekends,” the letter told voters. “Starting in 2024, whenever there is a federal or state election. there will be an early voting site in Houghton County open for nine days prior to Election Day,” the letter continued. The site will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, including the two weekends prior to election day. Voters can cast their ballot in the tabulator there, just like on election day.

The new law will mean more work for local election commissions and the county election commission, County Clerk Kelly points out.  “Not only will they have to assign workers to work at the precincts, they will also have run test deck ballots through the tabulator and tabulate the results for every county precinct,” she explains.

Test deck ballots are specially marked ballots that the law requires the county clerks and election commissions to tabulate to make sure the equipment and programming works for every election and that results are 100 percent accurate. Both a pre-test and a public test must be done. The public is welcome to attend the public test, Kelly says.

The county election commission must also appoint workers for the early voting center.

Kelly urges all voters who plan to vote absentee to contact their city or township clerks to find out how to get on the permanent absentee voter list. She suggests that voters who want to cast their ballot early watch for announcements in local news media or check with their city or township clerk about the dates and times that the early voting center will be open.