Voter Registration Information
Please see the information below for registering to vote:
Voting before Feb. 27:
For the first time, local voters will have two ways they can cast their ballots before the Feb. 27 primary.
Absentee voting will start in late January as city clerks begin mailing absentee ballots to those who requested them. To receive an absentee ballot, a person must complete an Absentee Ballot Request Form. This request can be completed online or via a paper form submitted to your local city clerk’s office via mail or in person. Those who plan to vote absentee and then mail the ballot back should drop the ballot in the mail at least two weeks before the election. Completed absentee ballots also can be submitted in person via designated drop boxes or at the clerk’s office until polls close at 8 p.m. on Feb. 27. If a voter requested an absentee ballot and then decides to vote in person on Feb. 27, the person should bring the absentee ballot with them to the poll.
For those participating in the Get 2 to Vote election campaign, remember that not everyone can return a completed absentee ballot. Absentee ballots can only be returned by the person voting, an immediate family member, or someone living with the voter.
Would-be absentee voters can visit their city clerk’s office to complete an Absentee Ballot Request Form, pick up their ballot, and complete and submit the ballot all in one visit. However, those planning to do so should be aware that there may be a substantial wait as clerk offices deal with a deluge of election work.
The 2024 election cycle is only the second presidential election since absentee ballots became available to all Michigan voters. This year marks the first time Michigan voters can also take advantage of early voting.
Early voting is like regular voting, except up to nine days earlier. No special request form is required and nothing is sent through the mail. Registered voters simply show up at their city’s early voting location during voting hours, preferably with a driver’s license or other official photo ID. Early voting starts nine days before the election, which for this year means those polls will open Feb. 17. Dearborn voters can visit the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center from Feb. 17 through Feb. 25 from 9 am until 5 pm. This is the only early voting location for Dearborn. Dearborn Heights residents will be able to vote early at the Canfield Community Center from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Feb. 17 through Feb. 25.
Schools will not be used for early voting locations and will continue to have class on those days. Dearborn Public Schools will not have classes on Feb. 27 as many of the schools are also used as public polling locations on election day.
Registering to vote:
Michigan law also now allows people to register to vote up until election day; however doing so well before the election is strongly encouraged. To register to vote, a person must be at least 18 years of age and a United States citizen. To see if you are registered to vote and to learn more about how to register, visit the Michigan Voter Information Center. Many adults opt to automatically register to vote when they get their Michigan driver’s license.
For more information on registering to vote and how to vote in Michigan, please click the link below: