Precinct delegate deadlines

Precinct delegate elections have a number of procedures specific to this type of election:

• County and district political party chairs must certify the number of precinct delegates to be elected in each precinct to the county election commission no later than April 1, 2024.
• Precinct delegate candidates are required to file an Affidavit of Identity to gain ballot access; petition signatures are not required.
• Precinct delegate candidates must file with their county clerk.
• The precinct delegate filing deadline elapses at 4 p.m. on May 7, 2024.
• Anyone who wishes to seek a precinct delegate position with write-in votes must file a Declaration of Intent with the county clerk by 4 p.m. on Aug. 2, 2024. As an alternative, such candidates may file a Declaration of Intent with the appropriate precinct board on the day of the election. Blank Declaration of Intent forms must be provided to each precinct board. Declaration of Intent forms may not be filed at an early voting site.
• The county clerk is responsible for certifying the candidates elected to precinct delegate positions.

Please see Chapter 5 of the Election Officials' Manual - Precinct Delegate Candidates for more information.

Absent voter ballot availability for May election

Under the Michigan Constitution, AV ballots must be available to all voters by the 40^th day prior to the election, which is Thursday, March 28. Beginning that day, clerks should be issuing ballots over the counter and processing ballots for voters who requested a ballot by mail.

BOE also understands that sometimes jurisdictions do not have ballots by the 40^th day for reasons beyond their control, such as the need to reprint ballots or litigation. If you do not have ballots by March 28, you should post a notice in your office and on any webpage or social media account you may have. The notice should indicate the date ballots will be available if that date has been provided to you. Additionally, you should prepare for processing and issuing ballots as soon as you receive them.

2024 Election Security Workshops – Save the date

BOE, in partnership with CISA, will be providing four virtual Election Security Workshops covering a variety of election security topics to prepare clerks and staff for a busy 2024.  The dates/times are listed below.

• April Election Security Workshop – 4/30 (afternoon) 1 p.m. -5 p.m.
• May Election Security Workshop – 5/30 (morning) 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
• July Election Security Workshop – 7/10 (afternoon) 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
• September Election Security Workshop – 9/25 (morning) 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

The workshops will cover a wide range of election security topics. Content is the same for each workshop. More information will be provided soon. If you have any questions regarding the 2024 Election Security Workshops, please contact David Tarrant at TarrantD@Michigan.gov  or call 517-335-3230.

MOVE deadline for May

Both federal law and the Michigan Constitution require that, no later than 45 days before the election, clerks transmit ballots to MOVE voters who have applied for ballots prior to the 45-day deadline. The deadline to transmit ballots for the May 7, 2024, election is Saturday, March 23, 2024. This deadline always falls on a Saturday and requires strict compliance, meaning that, unlike other deadlines in the election law, the Saturday MOVE deadline does not get bumped back to Monday. You must transmit ballots by the Saturday deadline. The QVF Helpdesk will be available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 23 to assist clerks with questions about utilizing the QVF to issue MOVE ballots. 

If something occurs in your jurisdiction that prohibits you from meeting this deadline (for example, litigation delays or ballot printing), please email BOE’s Regulatory Section at BOERegulatory@Michigan.gov as soon as possible.

Download the MOVE Compliance Report

To avoid missing the MOVE deadline, there are many tools available in QVF, including a report which details every MOVE voter in your jurisdiction. The report is populated by the information you have entered in voters' QVF profiles. You can find it under the Reports tab, titled “Military and Overseas Voter Compliance Report.”

Verify the information on the MOVE Compliance Report

Once you have located the Compliance Report, ensure that every MOVE voter is properly entered into QVF. If you have a MOVE voter who does not appear on the spreadsheet, then the MOVE status in the voter’s profile needs to be updated. A voter appearing on this report is currently registered as a MOVE voter. If the voter is an overseas civilian that has returned to the U.S., you should clear their UOCAVA status. Otherwise, the voter should receive a ballot. All requests for a MOVE ballot submitted on or after Nov. 7, 2023, are valid for every election in 2024. In other words, MOVE voters are not required to submit a separate request for each election in 2024. 

Note that with the passage of Proposal 2022-2, all voters (including MOVE voters) may now complete a single application in order to obtain a mailed absent voter ballot for all future elections. However, MOVE voters should submit a federal postcard application (FPCA), or other application, each year to ensure MOVE protections can be properly fulfilled and to allow enough time for the ballot to be returned.

What happens if the deadline is missed?

For all timely requested ballots, if you send a MOVE ballot late, the MOVE/UOCAVA voter is provided with an extension of time equivalent to the number of days the clerk was late in delivering the ballot, so long as the ballot is postmarked by Election Day. The MOVE ballots received during the extension period shall be counted and tabulated in the final results. MCL 168.759a(16).   

Returning the ballot & certification

All UOCAVA voters have the right to have their ballots counted if they are postmarked by Election Day and received within 6 days after Election Day. Any ballots received by the local clerk must be counted if postmarked by Election Day and received no later than six days after Election Day. If the postmark on the ballot envelope is missing or unclear, clerks must deliver the ballot envelope to their county clerk to determine whether the ballot was received on time. All ballots received after Election Day and deemed on time by the municipal or county clerk will be counted by the county clerk in a meeting board of county canvassers. Guidelines for MOVE ballots postmarked by Election Day and received within six days after Election Day are posted in the eLearning center.

Update your contact information

After the deadline, BOE staff will review this report and reach out to local clerks to troubleshoot any issues that may have occurred. You may also receive a call from your county clerk. Please make sure you are checking your email that has been provided in eLearning or update it if necessary.   

Be sure to contact us with any questions you may have. We are here to support you, so if you are running into problems, do not hesitate to email BOE's Regulatory Section at BOERegulatory@Michigan.gov.

Reminder: Early absent voter ballot processing deadlines for May election

April 9 - Clerks intending to process or tabulate AV ballots before Election Day must submit written notice to the Secretary of State by completing the Early Tabulation Declaration form in eLearning.

 April 19 – Deadline to post notice on website (if available) and in clerk's office of the location, dates, hours, and number of election inspectors for AV counting place if processing and tabulating AV ballots before Election Day.

 April 26 - Deadline for clerks processing and tabulating AV ballots before Election Day to post revised notice of location, dates, hours, or number of election inspectors if needed.

 April 29 - Cities or townships with a population of at least 5,000 may begin processing and tabulating AV ballots.

 May 6 - Any city or township may begin processing and tabulating AV ballots.

 For processing instructions, see the “Early Absent Voter Ballot Processing and Tabulating Guide” in the eLearning Center.

Accessibility spotlight

Starting today, BOE will be recapping our recently featured series of videos and articles designed to increase familiarity with general accessibility requirements and best practices. This is intended to be a second opportunity for individuals to watch and read our previously published pieces.

As election officials, it is critical that we support all individuals’ right to vote and provide the necessary resources to help voters feel more engaged and confident. 

We believe that this series will be educational and help us all continue to ensure that everyone can vote privately and independently whether they vote at a polling place or at home.

This first video in the series was developed by the United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and is entitled “Understanding Disability.” The video provides an overview of the concepts involved with disability and why various accessibility options at polling places are essential to those voters.