2020 Michigan Presidential Primary guide
Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP via Getty Images
DETROIT (FOX 2) - The Michigan Presidential Primary is Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Below is everything you need to make sure you're ready to vote AND make your vote count.
If you're running to the polls after work, you'll want to make sure you're prepared. That's why we built the Election Central links below - to make sure you're ready.
ELECTION CENTRAL
•Presidential Candidate Guide (If you're unsure about who to vote for, this is the place to see it all)
•Michigan Democratic Primary Results (All the results for every democratic candidate)
•Michigan Democratic Results by County (All the results for every candidate, from every county in Michigan)
•Delegate Tracker (To be the nominee, the winner needs 1,991 votes. Here's where they stand in the race)
AM I REGISTERED TO VOTE?
Firstly, don't sign up at your precinct without making sure you're registered. How would you know? It's easy. The state of Michigan has a page titled "Are you Registered". You can check if you are registered to vote by clicking here.
You can search by your name, birth month, and year or by entering your driver's license information. Not only will you ensure you're registered to vote, but it will also list WHERE you will vote. Which is just as important.
The deadline to register online to vote in this election -- Monday, February 24 -- has already passed. However, you can still register in person. You can register with your city or township clerk through March 9, you just have to validate your residency, which means bring your license or ID card, current utility bill, paycheck, or another government document.
If you're not sure who your clerk is, that's easy too. Just check out the state's site here.
Even if you wait until Election Day, you can still get registered. Just go to your city or township clerk's office with the documents above and you can get a ballot and vote that day.
ABSENTEE BALLOT
If you don't want to go in on Election Day, that's fine. You can now get an absentee ballot mailed to you and you don't even have to provide a reason. In 2018, Michigan voters approved Proposal 18-3, which made it possible for all eligible and registered voters to request an absent voter ballot without having to provide a reason.
To request it, you have to submit it in writing to your clerk. Again, go to the state's site here to find your clerk.You must request an absent voter ballot by submitting the application, large print application, a letter, a postcard, or a pre-printed application form obtained from your local clerk's office. Requests may be returned by hand, via postal mail, fax, or email, as long as a signature is visible.
The request must be in the clerk's office by no later than 5 p.m. on the Friday BEFORE the election. That's March 6, if you're keeping track.
After you get the absent voter ballot, you have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to complete and return it to the clerk's office, or it will not be counted.
WHAT'S ON MY BALLOT?
The polls open at 7 a.m. sharp on Election Day and, while you'll probably be looking at your phone while waiting in line - you should review your ballot then, too. Using the state's link to review your registration, you can see everything you're going to be voting on.
There are no statewide ballot proposals in this primary election, so you'll predominantly be voting for the Democratic OR Republican Presidential Primary. You must pick one party before you vote.
Click here to submit your county, jurisdiction, and precinct to see what your ballot will look like on Election Day. While you will receive instructions on how to fill the ballot out at the polls, you can click here to read them beforehand.
WHAT DO I NEED AT THE POLLS?
You do not need your voter registration card OR your photo ID to vote. As long as you're at the right polling location, your name will be on the registration list. You will, however, need to show photo ID. If you fail to bring ID, you can still vote, you just have to sign an affidavit that says you don't have a photo ID.
Acceptable forms of identification include: driver's license, state-issued ID card, federal or state government-issued photo ID, U.S. passport, military ID with photo, student ID with a photo from high school or higher education, and tribal ID card with photo. The ID doesn't need your address.
REMEMBER
Other helpful information:
- You can't wear items like buttons or T-shirts with election-related materials to the polls. You'll be asked to cover it or remove it.
- You don't have to fill out the entire ballot for your votes to count.
- You cannot use cameras, video or still, at the polls while they're open.
MORE HELP
Still have questions? Check out the Secretary of State's frequently asked questions. If you still haven't found an answer, click here to find your clerk, who you can contact for specific questions.