compiled by Mary Jo David

Recently, Michigan voters experienced a candidate (Mallory McMorrow) dropping out of the U.S. Senate race after absentee ballots had already been sent out. Voters who already completed and returned their absentee ballots can change their vote, but they must follow a specific process to make sure their changed vote will count.

If you’ve already completed and submitted your absentee ballot through one of these methods 1) by mail 2) in person at a local clerk’s office or 3) via a drop box:

Your vote can be changed by canceling or “spoiling” the ballot and resubmitting a new one. The new one can be submitted absentee or in-person.

• Michigan law stipulates that returned absentee ballots can be “spoiled” through a written and signed request submitted to the local clerk’s office.
• Deadline for “spoiling” a ballot: That request must be received by 5 p.m. on the second Friday before Election Day. For the August 2026 primary, that date is July 24.

If you’ve submitted your ballot into a tabulator or by early in-person voting:

Absentee votes cast by inserting the ballot into a tabulator at an early voting site cannot be spoiled or changed, and neither can any votes cast by early in-person voting.

If you have filled out your ballot but not submitted it yet:

You can “spoil” that ballot and either vote in-person or receive a replacement absentee ballot using the process listed in the bulleted points above.

If you still have questions about changing your ballot, contact your local clerk’s office.

Sources: michigan.gov and Michigan Advance.