Michigan Elections 2020: How to request an absentee ballot

Presidential primary is March 10

(Kiichiro Sato, Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

LANSING, Mich. – With the 2020 elections approaching, voters will be lining up at the polls, casting their votes for the 2020 presidential primaries.

Others will have to file an absentee ballot in order to have their vote count.

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In Michigan, all eligible and registered voters can now fill out an absentee ballot without having to provide a reason why, according to the Secretary of State’s website.

How to fill out an absentee ballot

To request an absentee ballot, it must be in writing and submitted to your city or township clerk. To request it, you must submit:

  • The absentee application
  • The large print application
  • A letter
  • A postcard
  • Or you can submit a pre-printed application form

Requests for an absent voter ballot mailed to you must arrive to your clerk no later than 5 p.m. Friday before the election. For this upcoming election, it means they must be submitted to your clerk by March 6.

Once your request is received, the signature on your request will be checked against voter registration record before the ballot is issued.

Once you receive your absent ballot, you have until 8 p.m. on election day, March 10, to complete the ballot and return it to the clerk’s office. Your vote will not count unless your signature is on the return envelope and matches the signature on file.

For more information and to download the applications, offered in both Spanish and English, click here.


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