Wondering whether your absentee ballot has been received? Here's how to check online
Over half a million Michigan voters have returned their absentee ballots for the upcoming August primary. Are you one of them? Wondering how to check whether your ballot arrived to your local clerk's office and make sure your vote counts? Here's how:
How do I check the status of my ballot online?
The Michigan Voter Information Center from the Secretary of State's Office allows you to look up your ballot by entering some basic information. At https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us, click "Your voter information" at the top of the page. Under "Search for your voter information" input your first and last name, birth month and year and ZIP code in the required fields.
You can also search your voter information under "Search by driver's license number" by inputting your driver's license number, birth month and birth year. Then click search by name or driver's license number depending on which option you used.
The next page should display an "Absentee ballot" box in the upper right corner with the date of the Aug. 2 primary, the date your application for an absentee ballot was received, the date your ballot was sent and the date the ballot was received.
Some municipalities may also have their own additional ballot tracking system. Detroit voters, for instance, can use BallotTrax at detroitav.ballottrax.net/voter/ to look up the status of their ballot and receive updates by email, text or phone.
What if my ballot hasn't been received yet?
If you mailed your ballot at least two weeks before the election, it will likely arrive before 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2, the deadline by which ballots must be returned in order to be counted. The volume of absentee ballots returned to clerk's offices is expected to increase and the status of your ballot will likely be updated as local elections offices process those ballots.
I'm worried my ballot won't arrive in time, what are my options?
You can call your local clerk's office or visit your clerk's office in person to double-check the status of your ballot and potentially spoil the ballot you already returned and cast a new one if you're concerned it won't arrive by the 8 p.m. Election Day deadline.
Voters wishing to spoil their ballot must sign a request to do so and ask for a new one. Voters who already returned their ballot must spoil their ballot in person by 10 a.m. the day before the election (Monday, Aug. 1).
You can find contact information and the address of your local clerk's office or satellite offices by putting your information into the Michigan Voter Information Center at https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us or by going to your local clerk's website for more information.
I already applied for an absentee ballot, but I haven't gotten it yet. What should I do?
If you're requested an absentee ballot that hasn't arrived, you may first want to check your voter information page at Michigan Voter Information Center at https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us to see whether it has been sent.
A voter who has not returned an absentee ballot to their clerk has until 4 p.m. the day before Election Day (Monday, Aug. 1) to spoil their ballot and request a new one.
You can vote in person at your polling location — open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 2 — and sign a statement saying that the ballot was lost or destroyed and go vote.
2022 Michigan primary voter guide
Enter your address for information on which races and candidates will be on your ballot for the Michigan primary election on Aug. 2.
Clara Hendrickson fact-checks Michigan issues and politics as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work at bit.ly/freepRFA. Contact her at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on Twitter @clarajanehen.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How to check the status of your Michigan primary ballot
