Both federal law and the Michigan Constitution require that, no later than 45 days before the election, clerks transmit ballots to military and overseas (MOVE) voters who have applied for ballots. The deadline to transmit ballots for the Nov. 4, 2025 Election is Sat., Sept. 20. 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 that Saturday. Beginning with this MOVE deadline, a MOVE voter who has requested electronic delivery will receive their ballot via the Electronic Delivery and Return Portal (EDARP) described elsewhere in this News Update. BOE will be available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sat., Sept. 20, to assist clerks with questions about issuing MOVE ballots.
For a ballot to be sent electronically, at least one person in your jurisdiction must take the EDARP training, either the virtual class that was offered this week or next Wednesday, Sept. 17, or the EDARP Access Training Module in eLearning, the ballots for that jurisdiction must be proofed in the EDARP system, and all absent voter ballot applications received from MOVE voters must be entered into QVF with the correct preferred delivery method by Sat., Sept. 20. Once the ballots are proofed by both the state and jurisdiction, all voters who requested a ballot electronically will automatically be sent a ballot through the EDARP system provided that the voter’s information is correctly recorded in QVF. Ballot numbers are also automatically assigned through the system, eliminating the need for election administrators to manually enter an electronic ballot number.
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 MDOS-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 that details every MOVE voter in your jurisdiction. The information in the report is populated by the information you have entered in the individual voter’s QVF profile. You can find it under the Reports tab, titled “Military and Overseas Voter Compliance Report.” QVF receives information from EDARP and this report will include the information of MOVE voters whose ballots are electronically sent through EDARP. The report will not include a ballot number or sent date for an electronic ballot until that ballot style is proofed by both the state and the jurisdiction.
Verify the information on the report
Once you have located the 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 who 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. 5, 2024, are valid for every election in 2025. MOVE voters are not required to submit a separate request for each election in 2025. Note that with the passage of Proposal 2022-2, all voters (including MOVE voters) may now complete a single application to be mailed an absent voter ballot for all future elections. However, MOVE voters must submit an application such as a FPCA each year to ensure MOVE protections and 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).
Also note that the Michigan Constitution provides for a six-day grace period following Election Day, during which MOVE ballots postmarked by Election Day are considered timely received. Military voters who electronically return their ballots using EDARP must submit their ballots by the close of polls in the jurisdiction in which they are registered; because the ballot is electronically transmitted in real time and not mailed, the grace period does not apply to those voters.
Update your contact information
After the MOVE deadline, BOE staff will review this report and reach out to local clerks to troubleshoot any issues that may occur. You may also receive a call from your county clerk. Please make sure you are checking the email you provided in eLearning or update it if necessary.
If you have any questions or run into issues, please contact us at MDOS-BOERegulatory@Michigan.gov. We are here to support you.
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Election administrators must complete the EDARP access training. The last virtual EDARP training session (MOVE Ballot Electronic Delivery and Return Portal - Virtual Training) will take place on Sept. 15. Anyone unable to attend can take the EDARP Access Training Module available in eLearning. Access to EDARP will not be provided to each individual until the training is completed.
In preparation for the Nov. 4, 2025 Election, the BOE Training Team will be offering 30–45 minute lunchtime virtual sessions on specialized election administration tasks. This series features a number of new topics not featured in previous Training Tidbit series. The sessions currently planned for this round of Training Tidbits are as follows:
Recordings will be made available in the Elections eLearning Center following each session. Sign-ups for these sessions are available in the Elections eLearning center.
 All clerks must report the hours the clerk's office will be open for absentee voting the Saturday and/or Sunday prior to the Nov. 4 Election. The Michigan Election Law requires the clerk's office to maintain a minimum of eight hours over those two days. These office hours may be split between Saturday and Sunday or held on one day. This information must be entered into QVF no later than Sunday, Oct. 5. This information also must be posted with other township or city postings in a central location. To enter this information into QVF: Select “Elections,” from there, select “Jurisdiction hours,” select your jurisdiction, select the current election, and enter your Business and Pre-Election Weekend Hours and add any additional registration locations using the “additional registration” button if needed. Select “Save” before exiting.
See the QVF Manual Chapter 11 - Clerk Contacts for further instructions. When you enter this information into QVF, voters will see it under the Election Information “Your Clerk” tab on the Michigan Voter Information Center at Michigan.gov/Vote.
On Sept. 11, 2025, the Michigan Department of State’s (MDOS) Electronic Return of Absent Voter Ballots by Eligible Voters ruleset took effect. The rules provide the high-level process by which MOVE voters can receive and/or return their ballot using the new Electronic Delivery and Return Portal (EDARP), beginning with the Sept. 20 MOVE deadline.
Public Act 197 of 2022 and Public Act 193 of 2023 required MDOS to promulgate rules and establish policies and procedures for the electronic return of voted ballots by eligible military members and Merchant Marines. The public acts, along with the rules, allow members of the military to return their completed ballots electronically, verifying their identity using a Department of Defense “verified electronic signature”— in other words, the number associated with their Common Access Card (CAC) issued by the DoD.
Under the rules, a non-military MOVE voter who has chosen to receive their ballot electronically will also receive their ballot via the portal, after creating an account in MiLogin for Citizens.
Information about EDARP has been conveyed to MOVE voters, and training for clerks is ongoing (refer to Electronic Delivery and Return Portal (EDARP) Training article in this News Update).
Under the Michigan Constitution, AV ballots must be available to all voters by the 40th day prior to the election, which is Thursday, Sept. 25. 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 40th day for reasons beyond their control, such as the need to reprint ballots or litigation. If you do not have ballots by Sept. 25, you should post a notice in your office and on your webpage and through social media accounts if you have them. 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.
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Year-end county postage reimbursement: The claim form can be used to submit requests for reimbursement of postage incurred by counties mailing voter registration forms to their local jurisdictions received from the Secretary of State. This reimbursement program does not cover the handling of Mail-In Voter Registration Application forms, absent voter ballots or ballot applications.
This reimbursement claim period will close Oct. 2, 2025.
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As we approach the weekend, our second annual Voter Preregistration Week comes to a close. We want to thank clerks across the state for continuing to help our young voters stay informed and take their first steps toward participation in elections. The effort to share important information and build awareness in our communities helps build lifelong voting habits and strengthen our democracy.
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Sept. 8-12 is National Disability Voting Rights Week. National DVRW is a nonpartisan movement to celebrate the disability community’s voting power through voter registration and education events, candidate forums on disability issues, digital organizing, engaging with elected officials, and other creative actions. Take some time this week and focus on accessibility issues in your community that may be affecting your residents’ ability to vote.
If you have questions or concerns about accessibility, please reach out to the Ombudsperson for Accessible Elections at ADAVoting@Michigan.gov.
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Oct. 10 - Jurisdictions with an established absent voter counting board 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.
Oct. 17 - 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.
Oct. 24 - 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.
Oct. 27 - Cities or townships with a population of at least 5,000 may begin processing and tabulating AV ballots.
Nov. 3 - 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.
Sat., Sept. 20:
- Deadline for clerks to electronically transmit or mail (as requested) an absent voter ballot to each absent UOCAVA (uniformed services or overseas) voter who applied for an absent voter ballot 45 days or more before the election (MOVE deadline).
- Deadline for county clerks to deliver absent voter ballots for the November Election to local clerks.
- Beginning of period during which clerk must make reasonable effort to verify or reject AV ballot application or AV ballot return envelope by the end of the business day after the application or envelope is received.
- County clerk must provide each municipal clerk or early voting site coordinator with programming for electronic voting equipment to be used at early voting site, if early voting is taking place.
The Electronic Orders & Requests (EOR) training conducted in July 2025 is available for review in eLearning. EOR is not yet available for all clerks, but the training must be reviewed before clerks gain access to the system. If you attended the live training, you do not need to review this video. BOE has made resources available to support MiLogin for Business and SIGMA questions.
The early voting wage reimbursement opportunity for all counties and jurisdictions that conducted early voting for the August Election was made available today. Previously, counties had to submit on behalf of their locals. However, going forward, if the local jurisdiction conducted early voting on its own/without the county, it may submit its request directly to BOE. Eligible counties and jurisdictions were contacted directly via email with submission instructions.
Communication has gone out to UOCAVA voters that the EDARP application will be available in mid-September. We have encouraged these voters to set up a MiLogin account ahead of application availability and provided this FAQ. If a voter reaches out to you with MiLogin questions, please direct them to contact us by phone at (800)292-5973 or via email at Elections@Michigan.gov.
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