Early voting locations in Southeast Michigan: Where to vote in Oakland County

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Early voting is underway already in Detroit and it starts this weekend for nearly every other county and city in the state. 

Michigan added early voting after the 2022 proposal was overwhelmingly approved and it's already been used during the primary but the general election is expected to bring significantly more voters to the polls early.

Early voting in Michigan can begin no later than Oct. 26 and must be available for nine consecutive days and be over by Sunday before Election Day – Nov. 3. 

Communities can elect to do more election days, up to 29 days. In fact, Detroit opened early voting this past weekend. 

Michigan law requires that at least one early voting site be available to all voters in every city and township. Local clerks select the number and locations that work best for each community. This is based on population density, site accessibility, and voter turnout. 

 Where to vote early in Oakland County

In Oakland County, cities are working together to provide locations for early voting with a total of 18 regional sites and one central voting site.

Oakland County's Central Site is at Waterford Oaks Activity Center in Waterford. This site is for any Oakland County voter to cast their ballots early. But not everyone can get there – so there are regional sites throughout the county as well:

Berkley, Huntington Woods, Oak Park, Pleasant Ridge: Oak Park Community Center, 14300 Oak Park Blvd., Oak Park, MI 48237

Royal Oak Township, Ferndale, Hazel Park: Hazel Park Community Center, 620 W. Woodward Heights Blvd., Hazel Park, MI 48030

Madison Heights, Royal Oak: Leo Mahany/Harold Meininger Royal Oak Senior Center, 3500 Marais Ave., Royal Oak, MI 48073

Lathrup Village, Southfield: Southfield Pavilion, 26000 Evergreen Rd., Southfield, MI 48076

Farmington, Farmington Hills: Costick Activities Center, 28600 W. Eleven Mile Rd., Farmington Hills, MI 48336

Northville, Novi, Novi Township: Novi Civic Center, 45175 W. Ten Mile Rd., Novi, MI 48375

Lyon Township, Milford Township: Lyon Township Hall, 58000 Grand River Ave., New Hudson, MI 48165

Commerce Township, Walled Lake, Wixom: Commerce Township Community Library, 180 E. Commerce St., Commerce, MI 48382

West Bloomfield Township, Keego Harbor, Orchard Lake, Sylvan Lake: West Bloomfield Township Public Library, 4600 Walnut Lk. Rd., West Bloomfield, MI 48323

Bloomfield Township, Southfield Township: Birmingham Bloomfield Township Public Library, 1099 Lone Pine Rd., Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302

Clawson, Troy: Troy Community Center, East Entrance, 3179 Livernois Rd., Troy, MI 48083

Highland Township, White Lake Township: Highland Township Hall Auditorium, 205 N. John St., Highland, MI 48357

Waterford Township, Lake Angelus: Waterford Township Public Library, 5168 Civic Center Dr., Waterford, MI 48329

Pontiac: Pontiac Public Library, 60 E. Pike St., Pontiac, MI 48342

Oakland Township, Rochester Hills: Rochester Hills Public Library, 500 Olde Towne Rd. Rochester, MI 48307 

Holly Township, Rose Township, Springfield Township: Springfield Oaks Activity Center, 12451 Andersonville Rd., Davisburg, MI 48350 

Independence Township, Clarkston: Brady Lodge at Bay Court Park, 6970 Andersonville Rd., Clarkston, MI 48346 

Addison Township, Orion Township, Oxford Township: Orion Township Municipal Building, 2323 Joslyn Rd., Lake Orion, MI 48360

Who is allowed to vote early in Michigan?

Any registered voter in the state has the right to vote early in person at an early voting site.

Early voting sites don’t offer voter registration in person unless they are at a clerk’s office or a clerk’s satellite office.

The Michigan Secretary of State recommends you register to vote prior to visiting an early voting site. 

Learn more about what you need to register to vote here.

How does early voting work?

Early voting gives voters a chance to cast a ballot in advance of Election Day in a way that is similar to voting on Nov. 5.

Voters will get a ballot, fill it out, and submit it into a tabulator at an early voting site.

It's exactly like voting on Election Day – only you're doing it early and it's at a location that could be different from your precinct.

Early voting is different from absentee voting. Absentee allows you to fill out your ballot in the comfort of your home or office and then mail it back. However, if you opt for an absentee ballot, you can take it to an early voting site and insert it directly into the tabulator, just as you would with a ballot on Election Day.