Yes, you can! If you do register to vote at your campus address, you will receive a sticker with your campus address to stick to the back of your current driver’s license. You will also receive a voter ID card from your Township or City Clerk.

Absolutely. If you wish to register to vote at your campus address as an out-of-state student, you may do so by presenting a current out-of-state driver’s license or MSU student ID.

You do not need a photo ID to register to vote in Michigan. If you register to vote in person, you will be asked to show a photo ID. If you have an acceptable photo ID with you, including a Michigan driver’s license or state ID card, an out-of-state driver’s license or state ID card, or a student ID, you must show it. If not, you can sign a simple form called an affidavit and register to vote.

Your voter ID should arrive within a few weeks of registering. You can also verify that you are registered by visiting www.michigan.gov/vote.

Yes, you can vote absentee even if you are a first time voter. If you registered in person with the clerk of the jurisdiction in which you plan to vote OR at any Secretary of State (SOS) Branch office, you have satisfied the ID requirement and are automatically eligible to vote absentee. If you registered to vote by mail and did not include either the last four digits of your Social Security Number, your Michigan driver’s license or state ID number, or some other form of identification with your application, you must provide identification to your local SOS or clerk before voting, such as a photo ID, utility bill, paystub, government check, or other government document. To vote absentee, you must request a ballot by filling out an application. You can get an application for an absentee ballot by calling or visiting your city clerk’s office and asking for an absentee ballot application, or by visiting mi.gov/vote. If you have a Michigan Driver’s License or State ID, you can fill out an application online by clicking on “apply for an absentee ballot online,” or you can download and print an application by clicking on “voter forms and publications” and scrolling down to “absentee voter ballot.” Keep in mind that absentee ballots are available more than a month in advance of the election and that local clerks’ offices must be open for at least 8 hours on the weekend prior to the election for absentee voting. Lastly, the law allows for a family member or housemate to mail or deliver the application for an absentee ballot to the clerk.

Your voter ID card will tell you where your polling location is. If you are voting in Michigan, you can also visit www.michigan.gov/vote. This site will verify your polling location, along with providing a map. You can even preview your ballot!

Yes, Michigan law requires voters to present a photo ID on Election Day if they have one. There are several acceptable types of ID, and most students should either have a current in-state or out-of-state driver’s license, state ID card or student ID. Voters will be asked to show ID and to complete an Application to Vote. The ID does not have to show the voter’s residential address. The ID is for photo verification only! If a voter states they have photo ID but did not bring it to the polls or they do not have one of the acceptable forms of photo identification, the voter can still vote by signing the “Affidavit of Voter Not in Possession of Picture Identification” located on the back of the application to vote.

No, voter registration does not impact student financial aid.

Yes you can. You can change your address online at www.michigan.gov/vote with a MI driver’s license or ID, or you can change your address at a SOS branch office or at your county, city, or township clerk’s office.

Fortunately, it is not necessary to obtain a new license. If you register to vote by mail or with the East Lansing Office of the City Clerk, the Secretary Of State receives a notification and will send you a sticker with your East Lansing address, to affix to the back of your driver’s license.

Yes you do. A complete address is required so that you can be assigned to the correct polling location on campus. It is also necessary so that you can be mailed a voter ID and address sticker for your Driver’s license.

Local students vote in many places. On campus students will vote at one of 4 on-campus precincts. Many off campus students will vote in East Lansing, Meridian Township, Lansing, or Bath Township. Students are encouraged to check the location of their precinct at the Secretary of State’s website.

If you experience problems or have questions while trying to cast your ballot, you can call or text the Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE.

For questions regarding how voter registration may impact your taxes please email taxclinic@law.msu.edu

Primary Elections are elections used by political parties to select their candidate for the general election. Primaries can be open, closed, or semi-closed. In states with open primaries, like Michigan, anyone can vote in any party’s primary, regardless of party affiliation. In states with closed primaries, voters may only vote in the party they are registered with. Finally, a semi-closed primary allows Independent voters to pick which party’s primary they would like to vote in, but voters registered with a party must vote in the one they are registered with, although this may vary by state.

No. Because Michigan’s Presidential Primary has been designated an open primary, there is no political party registration requirement. Any registered Michigan voter can participate in the primary.

Michigan Election Law (MCL 168.615c) guides the conduct of the Presidential Primary. The law requires that voters indicate in writing which political party ballot he or she wishes to vote. This requirement only applies to Presidential Primary elections, and voters will not be required to select a political party ballot type at other types of elections.

Primary Elections are important because YOU get to vote for the person who will represent your party, and ultimately have a say in who will be on the ballot in November.

In some states, each party ballot has a vote position for “uncommitted.” When a voter selects “uncommitted”, this indicates the voter is exercising a vote for that political party, but is not committed to any of the candidates listed on the ballot. If enough voters cast “uncommitted” votes, the party may send delegates to the national nominating convention who are not committed to a specific candidate.