SOS Express News from Secretary of State Ruth Johnson

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Absentee ballots now available to
vote in March 8 presidential primary

Absentee ballots are now available for the March 8 presidential primary in Michigan, Secretary of State Ruth Johnson announced. 

Voting absentee is only allowed in certain circumstances for registered voters in the state, including if you are:

  • age 60 years old or older
  • unable to vote without assistance at the polls
  • expecting to be out of town on election day
  • in jail awaiting arraignment or trial
  • unable to attend the polls due to religious reasons, or
  • appointed to work as an election inspector in a precinct outside of your precinct of residence.

When voters request an absentee ballot or arrive at the polls and fill out their application to vote, they must indicate whether they wish to vote in the Democratic or Republican party primary. They will then receive a ballot listing candidates for that party. Some communities will have additional special local election items on the ballot. Voters who wish only to vote in the special election may request a ballot that does not include presidential candidates.

Download an absentee ballot application

Johnson continues to support secure absentee voting in Michigan, which if passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor would allow registered voters to cast absentee ballots up to 45 days before an election. Voters wanting to vote absentee would have to pick up the ballot at a local clerk’s office and show ID.

For more election resources, please visit the Michigan Voter Information Center at mi.gov/vote.


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Visit the SOS at the Michigan International Auto Show in GR

Visitors to the 2016 Michigan International Auto Show at DeVos Place Jan. 28-31 will have the opportunity to renew their driver’s license and license plate tabs.

Customers visiting the full-service Secretary of State booth, located near the Ford display, will also be able to change their address, update their voter registration, sign up on the Michigan Organ Donor Registry or order a replacement vehicle title. The Mobile Office hours are:

  • Thursday, Jan. 28 – 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Friday, Jan. 29 – 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Saturday, Jan. 30 – 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Sunday, Jan. 31 – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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872 lives saved!

According to Gift of Life Michigan, 1,134 people in the state donated the gift of life through organ and tissue donation in 2015. 

Through the generosity of these individuals, 872 patients received organ transplants and countless more will receive an improved quality of life through tissue grafts.

If you have not joined Michigan's Organ Donor Registry, please do so today at mi.gov/organdonation.


SOS, AG team up
to protect consumers

Secretary of State Johnson and staff are working with Attorney General Bill Schuette's office to protect consumers from illegal vehicle title loans with highly excessive interest rates.

More than 440 Michigan consumers are believed to have been taken advantage of by Liquidation, LLC and several associated alias companies. 

Schuette has obtainied a premlinary injunction against the organizations so they cannot collect from the consumers who took out the loans.

More


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License designation
is available for vets

Michigan offers a special designation for veterans on their driver’s licenses and state IDs that makes it easy for them to receive discounts at businesses across the state.
Find out more.


Have a question?

You'll find many answers online at our Frequently Asked Questions page.

You also can seek help and information by:

- Emailing us via our Contact Page 

- Calling our customer help line at 888-SOS-MICH (767-6424).