With just under a month remaining before Election Day, Detroit absentee voters have returned 20,000 ballots to the Department of Elections. Officials are encouraging residents to continue to utilize any of the city-wide 38 dropbox locations available across the city.
The city’s election department sent out 101,000 absentee ballots between September 19 and 24. Matt Friedman, a spokesperson for Detroit Votes, indicated that the Detroit City Clerk’s office is "very encouraged" by approximately 20% of all absentee ballots being returned four weeks ahead of Election Day.
For those voting by mail, the elections office recommends sending absentee ballots no later than October 19. After this date, ballots should be placed by hand in any of Detroit’s designated ballot drop box sites. Voters facing transportation challenges can contact the Detroit City Clerk at (313) 224-3270 before 5 p.m. on November 1 to arrange for their absentee ballot to be picked up.
Detroiters have several ways to cast their votes this election cycle, including early in-person voting, early voting via "no excuse" absentee ballot, and traditional in-person voting on Election Day. Voter participation is expected to be higher for the November midterms, following a turnout of about 21% in the August primary.
Detroit offers more early in-person voting opportunities than other parts of Michigan, with eight Early Voting Centers and 38 absentee drop boxes. In addition to these options, the city of Detroit has 158 traditional polling locations for Election Day.
Ten days of early voting are scheduled from October 24 to November 2. Early voting sites will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the first nine days, which includes Saturdays and Sundays. On November 2, early voting will be conducted at two specific locations from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.: the Clerk’s Office at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, located at 2 Woodward Ave., and the Department of Elections, at 2978 W. Grand Blvd.
Voters in Michigan will make decisions on the races for governor, attorney general, and secretary of state, as well as seats for the state Legislature and congressional representation. Detroit voters will also cast ballots for full and partial terms on the Detroit Public Schools Community District Board of Education. The ballot includes two separate races: 31 candidates vying for four seats with four-year terms, and three candidates seeking a single seat for a partial term that concludes in 2028.
Additionally, a countywide ballot proposal will be presented, which aims to establish a millage to support the operations of both the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Detroit Historical Society.
Last week, voters with disabilities addressed the Detroit City Council during its formal sessions, outlining difficulties they encountered with Voter Assist Terminals (VATs) at polling places. Residents reported that these machines often did not function correctly or were not available promptly, which impacted their ability to vote independently.
In response to these concerns, the Department of Elections stated that complaints about VATs are not frequently made. However, when such issues arise, a team is promptly dispatched to the affected polling site to rectify the situation.
During the August primary, election monitors from the U.S. Department of Justice visited several polling sites in Detroit as part of an effort to monitor elections in four Michigan cities. The Department of Justice stated that the overall goal was to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law. These monitors are required to sign into the polling book and present identification upon arrival. They are not permitted to obstruct or interfere with the voting process, nor can they stand near voters or observe ballots being fed into tabulators.
Matt Friedman stated on Tuesday that the Department of Elections does not yet have information regarding whether federal monitors are anticipated in Detroit for the general election. He added that, based on experience from past elections, including the recent August primary, "the possible presence of federal monitors should not affect any Detroiter’s plan to vote." Friedman emphasized that election inspectors, challengers, and monitors are part of legal processes and should not hinder anyone's ability to cast a ballot.
Detroit Votes encourages all Detroiters to vote in the manner that best suits their lives, whether by absentee ballot, early in-person voting, or by visiting their local precinct on Election Day.
