If you are a new voter, or new to Michigan you will need to register to vote. If you register more than 14 days before an election, you can do it online at mi.gov/vote if you need to register within 14 days of an election, you will need to come in person with proof of residency which includes:

• Michigan driver’s license or state ID
• Current utility bill
• Bank statement
• Paycheck or government check
• Other government document

These documents must have your name and the address you are registering at on them. Call our office if you’re unsure what to bring for proof of residency at (906) 228-0430.

To be eligible to register to vote you must be:

• A Michigan resident (at the time you register) and a resident of your city or township for at least 30 days (when you vote)
• A United States citizen
• At least 18 years of age (when you vote)
• Not currently serving a sentence in jail or prison

If you were registered at another address in Michigan (inside or outside the City), you will need to use a voter registration form to change your address. You will still need to provide proof of residency if you are changing your address within 14 days of an election. 

If an election is more than 14 days away, you can change your address online at mi.gov/vote, you can also mail in a signed registration form, or come to City Hall and do it here. 

If you were on the permanent ballot list at a previous address, you will still be on the permanent ballot list when you change your address. If you need to add a separate mailing address, or want to be removed from the permanent ballot list, you will need to sign a form for the Clerk’s Office.

If you are a student and have been living in Marquette for more than 30 days you are eligible to register to vote here. Students living in on-campus housing like dorms can register to vote with their dorm address if they wish to do so. 

If a student is already registered at a separate address in Michigan like a parent’s house, they can either request an absentee ballot from the Clerk at their registered address, or they can register and vote in Marquette. The City Clerk’s office will not be able to process registrations or absentee ballot requests for other jurisdictions, these need to be sent directly to the Clerk of that jurisdiction, or can be completed online. 

Students can use their MyNMU account to show proof of residency for their address in Marquette. If a student registers to vote for an election in Marquette, they can still change their registered address online after the election. 

Eligible Michigan voters who live overseas can register to vote by filling out the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) or the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB). If voters submit another type of registration form, such as the State of Michigan Voter Registration Application, it will also be accepted and processed.

Requirements: The following information is required when completing the FPCA:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Registration address and current address
• Driver’s license or state ID or the last 4 digits of Social Security number. If you do not have any of these numbers you must enter in Section 6: “I do not have a Social Security number or Michigan-issued ID number.”

More information on requirements and completing the FPCA for Michigan voter registration is available in the FPCA Michigan guidance. For a general overview of voter eligibility and the Michigan voter registration process, visit Mi.gov/vote.

Deadline: Signed and completed FPCA must be received by a voter’s local clerk by 2 p.m. on the Saturday before Election Day. Options for returning an FPCA, including email, fax, or regular mail, are listed in the FPCA Michigan Guidance.

Please note: if you are going to be on a vacation or short term trip to another country and are worried you will not make it back to Marquette for Election Day or in time to have an absentee ballot mailed to you, you have two options. You can come into the clerk’s office to get an absentee ballot in person and complete it before you leave, or you can apply for a Military/Overseas ballot process. 

Michigan voters have the option to vote absentee without giving a reason in every election. They also have the option to be on the permanent ballot list, meaning they will automatically get sent an absentee ballot for every election they are eligible to vote in. To request an absentee ballot or sign up to be on the permanent ballot list go to mi.gov/vote. 

When returning your absentee ballot you also have 3 options: you can mail it back in the purple envelope you received it in; you can drop it off to one of the three monitored drop boxes around the City or in City Hall; or you can tabulate it yourself at the early voting site or your Election Day precinct. If it is on or close to Election Day, it is recommended that you refrain from using the mail. Ballots will only be counted if they are received by 8pm on Election Day. 

For all state and federal elections, a minimum of 9 days of early in person voting ending the Sunday before the election are required to be available to voters. The City’s early voting site is Peter White Public Library. All voters registered within the City can vote at the early voting site. If you are registered in a surrounding township or City, you will need to go to their respective early voting site, which can be found on mi.gov/vote or by calling their office. 

Early voting operates the same way that Election Day voting does, with the exception of printing off totals at the end of the night. Voters tabulate their own ballots, and at the end of the night anonymous ballots are stored and sealed securely. If you have questions about the security or process of early voting, you can reach out to our office at (906) 228-0430.

All voters have the option to vote in person on Election Day. The polls are open from 7am-8pm and anyone in line at 8pm can vote. The City has four precincts and two polling locations. The Baraga Gym at 300 W Baraga Ave (downstairs of City Hall) hosts voting for precincts 1 and 2. The YMCA at 1420 Pine St (next to Lakeview Arena) hosts voting for precincts 3 and 4. You must vote in the precinct you are registered in, you can double check where you’re registered on mi.gov/vote or by calling our office. 

Please note: the clerk’s office provides a same day registration station in City Hall on Election Day. If you need to change your registered address, or register to vote on Election Day, you must go to City Hall, this option is not available at the YMCA or any other location. 

Voters in the military and living overseas who have applied for an absentee ballot are sent their ballots at least 45 days before an election.

Absentee ballot applications for military and overseas voters may be submitted using a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), a regular absentee ballot application, or the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) Voter Information page.

Requirements:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Jurisdiction (Michigan city or township and county)
• Classification [reason for requesting a Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) ballot]
• Registration address and current address
• Driver’s license number or state ID number or the last 4 digits of Social Security number

  Registered voters in Michigan using a Michigan Absent Voter Ballot Application have the option to join the permanent absentee ballot list, and will receive an absentee ballot in every election going forward. . However, MOVE voters must complete a FCPA each year to ensure that they are sent a ballot early enough to allow for overseas mail. Applications that are received after the November election will apply to all of the next year’s elections.

Deadline: Voters must have their completed absentee ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received by their local clerk within 6 days after the election in order to be counted.

For more information on the voting process for military and overseas voters, please reach out to the clerk’s office at (906) 228-0430 or email us at clerk@marquettemi.gov