(FOX 2) - The August primary elections are nearing in Michigan and there are more than a few races for voters to be paying attention to ahead of casting their ballot.
Voting day in the state primary is Aug. 6. For those planning on voting ahead of time, an absentee ballot can be mailed in or delivered to a drop box beforehand. But if someone is planning to vote on the day of, they'll have until 8 p.m. to fill out their ballot.
But with nominating contests spanning races in Congress, the state legislature, the county level, and beyond, there are more than a few seats up for grabs. It may be beneficial for voters to know who they will be voting for ahead of casting their ballot.
Luckily, there's a way of viewing your ballot online. Here's what to know:
How do I see my ballot?
The Michigan Secretary of State has all the information someone will need to preview their ballot.
Voters should first head to the website here, where they'll be prompted to fill out some general information about where they live. Voters will need to select the election they want to preview, the county they live in, then the jurisdiction, followed by the precinct.
If you don't know what precinct you live in, you can fill out voter information here.
The sample ballot that's displayed will be divided into two columns: one for the Democratic Party and one for the Republican Party. According to Michigan law, voters may only fill out one column.
You do not need to be registered for a certain party to cast a ballot for a candidate in that party.
What is Michigan voting for?
It's a presidential election year, which means most seats in government are up for grabs.
In Michigan, the state primary this year includes the following seats:
- U.S. Senate
- U.S. House of Representatives
- Michigan House of Representatives
- County Executive and commissioner
- County prosecutor
- Sheriff
- Treasurer
- Clerk
Can I vote split ticket?
Voting on a split ticket means casting a vote for candidates of both parties.
In Michigan, voters can only cast a vote for one party. This goes for both the presidential primary in February and the statewide primary in August. If a voter does cast a vote for more than one party, their ballot will not be counted.
However, voters can split their ballot during the general election.
They are also afforded the option of filling in a straight-ticket vote, which means if someone wants to only vote Democrat or only wants to vote Republican, they can fill out the option at the top of the ballot.
When the ballot is inserted into the tabulator and the straight ticket option is filled in, then the vote will be recorded as for every partisan race.