(WXYZ) — The election is just over a month away, and absentee ballots are now being mailed out to voters who requested one.
According to the Michigan Secretary of State's Office, ballots will be mailed starting Sept. 26. They should begin arriving in mailboxes for voters in the days after Sept. 26.
Hear more from Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown in the video player below
Anyone in Michigan is eligible to vote absentee. During a Thursday appearance at the Pistons Performance Center, Benson celebrated the beginning of absentee voting and said 1.8 million Michiganders have already requested their ballot for this election - including those who are on the state's permanent Absentee Voter list.
"We are also here to kick off the beginning of voting in Michigan for this year's presidential election," Benson said. "That's right, voting in the 2024 Presidential Election has officially begun. And beginning today ballots are available to every eligible citizen who wants to vote in this fall's election."
Benson also announced a number of new voter information tools that are being rolled out now.
The first was is a voter information texting tool called MI Vote Info. With this tool, you can get a one-time text with a link to 5 different topics. The link will enable you to request a ballot, find your early voting site, make a plan to vote on election day, become a poll worker, or reach VOTE 411, the League of Women Voters non-partisan election guide. To access the service, text VOTE to 833-868-3009.
Benson also announced a new absentee ballot tracking notification system. You can sign up when you register to vote, when you submit an online application for an absentee ballot, or by visiting Michigan.gov/vote and clicking on the signup link.
The state is also launching an information campaign for voting options. Social, streaming and static ads will let voters know how they can cast their ballot. The ad includes the recently announced I Voted sticker.
The state is also launching an Election Facts Center at Michigan.gov/ElectionFacts.The site includes a list of topics with answers about the questions people may have about the voting process.
Here's more about how you can request an absentee ballot. You can even apply online.
REQUEST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT HERE
You cannot request an absentee ballot until 75 days before an election.
You can request an absentee ballot by mail up until 5 p.m. the Friday before the election, and you can request an absentee voter ballot in person at your local clerk's office up to 4 p.m. on the day before the election. That ballot must be completed at the clerk's office.
If you’re registering to vote or updating your address by appearing at your clerk’s office on Election Day, you can request an absent voter ballot at the same time you register. If you request your AV ballot the day before the election or on Election Day, you must vote the ballot in the clerk's office.
It's encouraged that you fill out your absentee ballot early and then return it by mail, in-person at the clerk's office, or at a ballot drop box, which you can find here.
"For me, I say if it's less than three weeks before the election, bring it to your drop box, or to your local clerk's office, or to your earlier voting site and put it in the tabulator there, or to your precinct on Election Day," Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown said to our Mike Duffy on Wednesday. "I'd rather be safe than sorry. I want to make sure that every vote gets counted and has the ability to be counted."
