Michigan Aug. 4 Primary: What Those Voting By Mail Need To Know

MICHIGAN — All registered voters in Michigan can vote by mail, and in 2020, with increased concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, record numbers of Michiganders may do just that.

But there are some things you will need to know if you opt to vote by mail. For starters, voters have until 8 p.m. to return their completed ballot to their local clerk's office. This can be done in person or by mail.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Voters can see what their ballot will look like here by entering their county, jurisdiction and precinct information.

To ensure you do not invalidate your ballot, be sure to only vote for one party on the partisan section of your ballot.

Applying For An Absentee Ballot

Registered voters can apply for an absentee ballot in many ways. You can do so online by going here, but note that the deadline to apply for an absentee ballot for the Aug. 4 election has already past.

Registered voters can also mail in their application after signing it. You can find your respective clerk's mailing address here. When doing this, voters can even mark a box adding them to a list to vote absentee ahead of every election, if they so choose.

For some clerks, drop boxes may be available for people to drop off their ballots. Contact your local clerk to see if that is an option here.

Anyone Can Vote Absentee

A law passed in 2018 allows anyone in Michigan who is registered to vote to vote absentee without providing a reason.

If you're wondering if you're registered to vote, you can check the status of that information here.

If you've already sent in your absentee ballot and you're wondering where it is at, you can track the ballot here.

Delayed Results?

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has previously said that there is expected to be an unprecedented amount of mail-in voting due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A state law mandating that absentee ballots cannot be counted until Election Day could mean the final vote tallies may not be ready for days following Tuesday's election, The Detroit Free Press reported.

State law mandates that state election officials in Michigan cannot open absentee ballot envelopes until the morning of Election Day.