Michigan absentee ballot returns rise 30% over 4 years ago. What it may mean

Craig Mauger, The Detroit News on Oct 6, 2026

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LANSING, Mich. — The number of absentee ballots returned in Michigan rose 30% from the same point before the 2022 midterm election as of the morning of Oct. 6, according to data released by the Secretary of State's office.

As of 7 a.m. Oct. 6 — four weeks before Election Day on Nov. 3 — Michigan voters had submitted 201,909 absentee ballots. Four weeks ahead of the 2022 election, Michigan voters had returned 155,142 ballots.

"Voting by mail is secure, convenient and the constitutional right of every eligible Michigan voter,” said Aghogho Edevbie, Michigan's deputy secretary of state. “With just one month left before Election Day, there’s still time to register to vote and request a mail ballot.

"If you have already received a mail ballot, be sure to return it by mail, at a ballot drop box, or to your local clerk’s office."

This fall, Michigan voters will pick a new governor, a new attorney general and a new secretary of state and choose candidates to fill every seat in the state Legislature.

Michigan is also gaining national attention because of a handful of competitive U.S. House contests in Michigan and the race for an open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers. Those contests will help determine which party controls Congress for the final two years of Republican President Donald Trump's second term.

Increased absentee voting in Michigan might be a sign of enthusiasm and higher overall turnout, but it might also mean that more people are choosing to cast their ballots before Election Day instead of on Election Day. Voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2018 for no-reason absentee voting for up to 40 days before the election.

In 2022 in Michigan's largest county, Wayne County, about 45% of the votes were cast through absentee ballots. Total statewide turnout for 2022 was 5.7 million.

Just over 2 million people have requested absentee ballots for the November election this year. In 2022, about 1.6 million requested absentee ballots at the same point before Election Day. That increase is largely due to more people being on the permanent absentee voting list, meaning they automatically receive an absentee ballot for each election.

Yet, the percentage of the requested ballots that have been returned is slightly higher this year at 9.9% than it was four years ago at the same point, when it was 9.7%.

Voters can track the status of their ballot online at mi.gov/trackballot or by calling their city or township election clerk, according to the Secretary of State's office.

Voters can also return their mail ballot to their early voting site before Election Day. Early voting sites are scheduled to open statewide Oct. 24 and will be open at least eight hours every day through Nov. 1.