Early Voting in Detroit 2026: Sites, Hours and What’s on the Ballot

Early voting in Detroit is underway at eight city-run centers, and Detroiters have through Sunday, Nov. 1, to cast a ballot in person before the Nov. 3 general election, the city clerk’s office and state officials said. The centers are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, Deadline Detroit and CBS Detroit reported, with two locations adding hours on Monday, Nov. 2.

The ballot is a long one. Michigan voters are choosing a governor, an attorney general, a secretary of state, and a successor to retiring Sen. Gary Peters, along with every seat in the U.S. House delegation and the Legislature, according to CBS Detroit’s voter guide. Closer to home, Wayne and Oakland County voters will decide whether to create a new property tax for three of the city’s best-known history museums, a question with direct consequences for families who visit them.

Detroit opened its early voting period on Saturday, Oct. 24, with a get-out-the-vote celebration at the Northwest Activities Center led by City Clerk Janice Winfrey, WDIV/ClickOnDetroit reported. Early in-person voting has been available statewide only since 2024, after voters approved a 2022 constitutional amendment, CBS Detroit noted.

Jump to: Where to vote early · Step by step · What’s on the ballot · The museum millage · Absentee ballots and registration · FAQ

Where to vote early in Detroit

The city’s eight early voting centers each have a ballot drop box, according to BridgeDetroit:

Early voting center	Address
WCCCD Northwest Campus	8200 W. Outer Drive
Northwest Activities Center	18100 Meyers Road
Farwell Recreation Center	2711 E. Outer Drive
WCCCD Eastern Campus	5901 Conner St.
Department of Elections	2978 W. Grand Blvd.
Clark Park	1130 Clark St.
City Clerk’s Office	2 Woodward Ave., Suite 106
Adams Butzel Recreation Complex	10500 Lyndon St.

• Through Sunday, Nov. 1: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at all eight centers.
• Monday, Nov. 2: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the City Clerk’s Office and the Department of Elections only, Deadline Detroit reported.
• Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3: neighborhood polling places are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone in line at 8 p.m. may vote.

Under state rules, voters may use only the early voting site or sites assigned to them, so it is worth confirming yours on the state’s Michigan Voter Information Center before heading out, according to the Michigan Department of State. The process mirrors Election Day: voters fill out a paper ballot and feed it into a tabulator. Bring a photo ID if you have one; voters without ID can still cast a ballot after signing an affidavit. Results from early ballots are not released until polls close at 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.

State election data show the busiest early voting days tend to be the Friday, Saturday and Sunday before Election Day, CBS Detroit reported, citing the August primary. Voters hoping to avoid lines may want to go earlier in the week.

How to vote early in Detroit, step by step

1. Check your registration and assigned site on the Michigan Voter Information Center at Michigan.gov/Vote.
2. Preview your ballot on the same site, including the two statewide proposals and the zoo and museum millages.
3. Bring a photo ID, such as a Michigan driver’s license or state ID. If you do not have one, you can sign an affidavit and still vote.
4. Go by Sunday, Nov. 1, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., or on Monday, Nov. 2, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the two clerk locations. If you have an absentee ballot you no longer want to mail, bring it: the state says you can surrender it at the early voting site and vote in person instead.

What’s on the Detroit ballot

Besides the statewide and congressional races, Detroit voters will elect members of the Detroit school board, BridgeDetroit reported. Two statewide questions appear on every Michigan ballot, according to the Wayne County Clerk’s list of proposals:

• Proposal 2026-1 asks whether to convene a convention to draft a general revision of the state constitution.
• Proposal 2026-2 is an initiated law that would prohibit campaign contributions from certain regulated utilities and government contractors and apply campaign finance rules to more kinds of political communications.

Two countywide millages follow. One renews the Detroit Zoo’s tax at 0.1 mill for 2028 through 2037, with an estimated $6.1 million in first-year revenue from Wayne County, according to the county clerk. Voters in Oakland and Macomb counties are deciding the same question. The levy makes up roughly a third of the zoo’s revenue and also supports the Belle Isle Nature Center, the Detroit Zoological Society told BridgeDetroit, which estimated the cost at about $10 a year for a $200,000 home. The other millage is new.

The museum millage, explained

The Southeast Michigan Public Historical Museum Authority, which Wayne and Oakland counties formed in July, BridgeDetroit reported, is asking voters in both counties to approve a 0.2-mill property tax for 2026 through 2035. The money would support the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Detroit Historical Museum in Midtown and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle, according to the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan. For hours and highlights at these and other institutions, see our guide to the best museums in Detroit.

• Cost: $20 a year for every $100,000 of taxable value, the research council said. BridgeDetroit put it at about $30 a year for a $300,000 home, since taxable value is typically lower than market value.
• Revenue: about $12.2 million from Wayne County and $17.7 million from Oakland County in the first year, WDIV reported.
• What residents would get: free admission to the three museums for Wayne and Oakland residents, free transportation for students and seniors, new teacher curriculum and care for the museums’ publicly owned collections, according to the research council.
• Other museums: 15% of each county’s revenue would go to other public history museums in the two counties.
• If it fails in either county: the authority dissolves, BridgeDetroit reported, and the museums would keep relying on admissions, grants and donations, which could mean reduced hours or fewer exhibits, the research council said.

Supporters, campaigning as Yes to Our Story, say the Wright Museum and the Detroit Historical Museum have survived for years by drawing down reserves, WDIV reported. Both buildings are owned by the city. BridgeDetroit’s reporting did not identify any organized opposition. The Detroit Historical Museum is in the middle of a busy week, with events marking the 100th anniversary of Harry Houdini’s death through Oct. 31.

Absentee ballots, drop boxes and registration

Absentee ballots must reach the clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted, according to CBS Detroit. Ms. Winfrey urged absentee voters to return their ballots by Friday, Oct. 30, and to sign the envelope as directed, Deadline Detroit reported. Requests for an absentee ballot made online or by mail are due by 5 p.m. Oct. 30; in-person requests are due by 4 p.m. Nov. 2.

In addition to the boxes at the early voting centers, the city lists 26 drop-box-only locations at recreation centers, churches, libraries and other sites, including the Detroit Pistons Performance Center on Amsterdam Street, BridgeDetroit reported.

It is not too late to register. Within 14 days of an election, Michigan residents must register in person at their clerk’s office with proof of residency, the state said. CBS Detroit’s voter guide notes that in-person registration remains open through 8 p.m. on Election Day. In Detroit, that means the City Clerk’s Office at 2 Woodward Ave., Suite 200, which is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, and Sunday, Nov. 1, BridgeDetroit reported. Early voting centers outside the clerk’s offices do not register voters.

For background on City Hall leadership, see our explainer on who the mayor of Detroit is.

Frequently asked questions

Last updated Oct. 26, 2026. Hours and locations can change; check with the Detroit Department of Elections before you go.