Michigan voters have cast 358,343 early in-person ballots and 1,704,715 ballots in all, with the statewide early voting period ending Sunday, Nov. 1, and some communities adding a Monday option for the first time in a general election.
Numbers as of the Michigan Department of State dashboard update stamped “Last updated: October 29, 2026 07:14:55 AM”, covering early in-person ballots recorded through Wednesday, Oct. 28.
Michigan early voting 2026 reached 358,343 in-person ballots through Wednesday, Oct. 28, according to the Michigan Department of State’s Voter Participation Dashboard. Counting returned absentee ballots, 1,704,715 Michigan voters have cast a ballot, 23.0% of the state’s 7,412,507 active registered voters. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
The statewide early voting period required by the Michigan Constitution runs from Saturday, Oct. 24, through Sunday, Nov. 1, according to the Department’s 2026 election dates calendar. “This is the first midterm statewide general election with early in-person voting available for every Michigan voter,” the Department said in an Oct. 27 release.
Michigan early voting 2026 turnout by day
Statewide early voting sites opened Saturday, Oct. 24, and recorded 77,255 ballots that day and 57,282 on Sunday, a first-weekend total of 134,537. The weekdays since have stayed close to the opening pace, with 77,109 on Monday, 71,598 on Tuesday and 70,953 on Wednesday. Before Oct. 24, communities that chose to open early voting sites ahead of the statewide period recorded 4,146 ballots from Oct. 19 to Oct. 23.
| Ballot method | Ballots cast | Share of ballots cast |
|---|---|---|
| Absentee (mail) ballots returned | 1,346,372 | 79.0% |
| Early in-person ballots | 358,343 | 21.0% |
| Election Day ballots | No data yet | n/a |
| Total ballots cast | 1,704,715 | 100% (turnout: 23.0% of active registered voters) |
Absentee ballots still make up most of the vote. Clerks have received 2,164,803 absentee ballot requests and sent 2,116,641 ballots, and 1,346,372 have come back, or 62.2% of requests, according to the dashboard. The state’s permanent mail ballot list holds 2,019,949 voters.
The Department’s Oct. 27 release compared mail ballots one week before Election Day with the same point in 2022. As of 7 a.m. Oct. 27, voters had requested 2,154,870 mail ballots and returned 1,176,375. One week before the 2022 general election, on Nov. 1, 2022, the figures were 1,899,273 requested and 1,126,246 returned, so 2026 requests were up 13.5% and returns up 4.5%. There is no matching early in-person comparison, because 2026 is the first midterm general election with statewide early voting in Michigan.
New in 2026: optional early voting Monday, Nov. 2
Last day of mandatory early voting period. (Early voting optionally may be held on the Monday before Election Day until 4 p.m.)
Michigan Department of State, 2026 election dates, entry for Sunday, Nov. 1
“Beginning in 2026, communities may provide early voting on the Monday before Election Day,” according to the Department’s early in-person voting page. The Monday option is up to each community, and the Oct. 27 release said “some communities will offer additional early voting hours on Monday, Nov. 2.” Voters can look up their own site, days and hours through the state’s lookup at mi.gov/earlyvoting.
The Department’s official account marked the start of the statewide period on Oct. 24:
“Statewide early voting for the Nov. 3 General Election officially begins today! Registered voters can cast their ballot in person ahead of Election Day between Oct. 24 and Nov. 1.”
Michigan Department of State (@MichSoS on X, Oct. 24, 2026)
Rules for the final days of early voting in Michigan
- Hours. Early voting sites are open at least eight hours every day through Sunday, Nov. 1, according to the Department’s Oct. 23 release. Communities set their own sites and times, and some offer extra days. Voters in line when a site closes can stay in line and vote.
- Registration. The deadline to register online or by mail passed Oct. 19. Voters can still register in person at their city or township clerk’s office through 8 p.m. on Election Day with proof of residency, then vote, according to the Department. Most early voting sites serve only voters who are already registered. For how Michigan compares with other states, see the Politics Elections guide to same-day voter registration.
- Photo ID. The Department asks voters to bring an acceptable photo ID. A voter without one can still vote after signing an affidavit, according to its early voting page.
- Absentee ballots must reach the voter’s clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. The Department advises using a local drop box or the clerk’s office this close to the election rather than the mail. Voters can confirm their ballot arrived at mi.gov/trackballot. For a registered voter, the deadline to apply in person at the clerk’s office for an absentee ballot is 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, according to the election dates calendar. Military and overseas voters have separate rules.
- Results. Ballots cast at early voting sites are tallied and reported after polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day, with absentee and Election Day ballots. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.
What is on the Michigan ballot
Michigan voters will choose a U.S. senator, a governor, a secretary of state and an attorney general, plus U.S. House, legislative, judicial and university board seats, according to the Department’s 2026 general election candidate listing. The U.S. Senate ballot lists Abdul El-Sayed (Democratic), Mike Rogers (Republican), Lydia Christensen (Libertarian), Tim Long (U.S. Taxpayers), Douglas P. Marsh (Green) and Walter P. Kristy (Natural Law).
What this does and doesn’t tell you
Early votes are not results. The dashboard counts ballots cast, not votes for any candidate, and early voting site results are not reported until polls close Nov. 3. Early votes are not extra votes either: high early turnout can reflect voters shifting from Election Day. No party breakdown. The state dashboard reports ballots by method and location, not by party. For the national picture, see the Politics Elections early-vote roundup.
About these numbers
Turnout figures are from the Michigan Department of State’s Voter Participation Dashboard (mi.gov/votingdashboard), last updated Oct. 29, 2026, 07:14:55 AM, for the Nov. 3, 2026 general election. The dashboard draws on voter history in the state’s Qualified Voter File, reports ballots cast rather than results, and its counts may change as clerks update records. Daily early voting figures are by the date the dashboard assigns each ballot; the Department says the dashboard is updated daily through the Monday before Election Day. Mail ballot comparisons with 2022 are as the Department reported them on Oct. 27 and are not mixed with dashboard figures. The Department’s Oct. 27 release counted 215,795 early voters as of that morning; the dashboard’s running total through Oct. 26 now stands at 215,792. The Oct. 29 update revised several earlier daily counts by one ballot each, a sign the figures move as records are updated.
