Michigan Special Election: Guide to May 6 races around the state

(FOX 2) - May 6 is election day for some local municipalities around Michigan and the first opportunity of 2025 to vote.

While none of the races are statewide or have any bearing on Congress or Michigan governance in the legislature, there are hundreds of local races across dozens of counties.

Local Michigan elections

Just like during the previous presidential election in November, the May 6 special election includes multiple days of early voting - which is part of Michigan's expanded voting options that residents approved in the past.

Local perspective:

Most of the elections deal with school district millage renewals, which help fund public school buildings and curriculum. Here is a full breakdown of all special elections in metro Detroit.

Livingston County

• Dexter Community Schools
• Webberville Community Schools

Macomb County

• Mt. Clemens Community School

Monroe County

• Mason Consolidated Schools
• Summerfield Schools Whiteford
• Agricultural Schools

Oakland County

• Clawson City
• Ferndale City
• Ferndale Public
• Grand Blanc Community Schools
• Lamphere Schools

St. Clair County

• Algonac Community School District
• Kenockee Township
• Yale Public Schools

Washtenaw County

• Dexter Community Schools
• Pittsfield Charter Township

Wayne County

• Redford Union School District
• Southgate Schools
• Wyandotte City

How to vote in Michigan

How to register

There are three different ways to register: online, by mail, or in person at your clerk’s office. 

The state of Michigan makes it simple to register to vote – just go to the Secretary of State’s website and fill out the information.

If you’ve moved recently, you should check that your address is correct so that you’ll be able to vote in person or receive your mailed ballot

Voting by mail

Voting by mail – also known as absentee voting – requires you to request an absentee ballot. Michigan will not automatically send you an absentee ballot.

You can do this by registering on the Michigan Secretary of State website, calling your city clerk and asking for an application to be mailed to you, downloading the application from the state’s website and mailing it in, or going directly to your clerk’s office.

There are applications available in other languages, including Arabic, Spanish, Bengali, and Farsi. 

When do polls open?

In Michigan, polls open at 7 a.m. local time and remain open until 8 p.m.

Polls in Michigan close at 8 p.m. local time.

For most of the state, that's 8 p.m. ET. However, there's the far west corner of the Upper Peninsula that's in central time – which means those polls will close at 8 p.m. CT, (9 p.m. ET).

What's on my ballot?

The state makes it really easy to find out what someone will be voting on.

All it takes is filling out some basic information on the Secretary of State's website. After that, a sample ballot of what the registered voter will see when they head to the polls will appear.

That can be done by going to this link here.

ElectionMichigan