Early voting begins Saturday in Detroit for Michigan's General Election; here's what to know

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(WXYZ) — The City of Detroit will open early voting on Saturday, Oct. 19, for the Nov. 5 General Election. Detroit residents will have 15 days of early, in-person voting.

Under Proposal 2 passed in 2022, communities in Michigan must have at least nine days of consecutive in-person voting for the election, but communities may add more days. That means the latest early voting can start in the state is Saturday, Oct. 26. It will last through the Sunday before Election Day, Nov. 3.

The City of Detroit will have 14 in-person early voting sites. They are:

  • Butzel Family Center, 7737 Kercheval 
  • Department of Elections, 2978 W. Grand Blvd 
  • Clark Park, 1130 Clark
  • City Clerk Office, 2 Woodward Ave. 
  • Christ Temple Baptist Church, 10628 Plymouth Rd.
  • Adams Butzel Recreation Complex, 10500 Lyndon 
  • Palmer Park Community Center, 1121 Merrill Plaisance St. 
  • WCCCD Eastern Campus, 5901 Conner 
  • Northwest Activities Center, 18100 Meyers Rd. 
  • Farwell Recreation Center, 2711 E Outer Dr.
  • WCCCD Northwest, 8200 W. Outer Dr. 
  • Kemeny Recreation Center, 2260 S. Fort St. 
  • Heilmann Recreation Center, 19601 Crusade 
  • Greater Grace Temple, 23500 W. Seven Mile Rd. 

"During major elections, the crowds at polling places on election day can discourage some people from voting. We want to make sure that every Detroiter who is registered to vote has the ability to legally cast their vote early, when and where it is most convenient to them,” Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said in a statement. “My wife, Sonia, and I, along with a number of others, plan to take advantage of this opportunity by casting our votes early on October 19th.”

Hear more about early voting below

Early voting kicks off in Michigan this weekend

Under the change, voters can cast a ballot before Election Day in an experience similar to voting on Election Day. Voters are issued ballots and then can insert their ballot directly into a tabulator at an early voting site.

Anyone registered in Michigan to vote has the right to vote early, in person at an early voting site.

Voters can look up their assigned early voting site or sites up to 60 days before the election on the state's voter information website.

Hours vary by location, but early voting must be offered for at least nine consecutive days, beginning on the second Saturday before the election and ending on the Sunday before the election, for eight hours a day.

That means it will run Oct. 26 through Nov. 3

How are ballots organized and retained?

The Michigan Department of State breaks down information about how early voting ballots are organized after they are submitted.

According to the state, on Election Day, ballots at a polling place are stored by precincts, and though many early voting sites can have several precincts, tabulators at early voting sites are programmed to count ballots from different precincts and to record the results by each individual percent.

"All ballots submitted in Michigan, whether at an early voting site, a polling place, or by absentee voting, are retained and available for review during the post-election canvass, recount, and audit processes," the state said.