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Michigan voters can still change their primary vote if their candidate dropped out

July 21, 2026

Michigan voters who cast early absentee ballots for candidates who later dropped out of their races have options to change their votes under state law. Voters can request to "spoil" their original ballot and receive a new one, though the process differs depending on whether they've already submitted their ballot or just filled it out. For already-submitted ballots, voters must submit a written request to their local clerk by July 24, which is before early voting begins and preprocessing of absentee ballots starts.

Who is affected

  • Michigan voters who cast early absentee ballots for Democratic Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow
  • Michigan voters who cast early absentee ballots for Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Cox
  • Township and city clerks who must process spoiled ballot requests
  • Communities with more than 5,000 people that preprocess absentee ballots

What action is being taken

  • Statewide early voting is beginning Saturday, July 25
  • Communities with more than 5,000 people are preprocessing absentee ballots starting Monday, July 27
  • Clerks are accepting written requests to spoil ballots

Why it matters

  • This matters because it protects voters' rights to change their votes when circumstances change after they've voted early. The ability to spoil and recast ballots ensures voters aren't penalized for voting early when candidates subsequently drop out of races. The preprocessing of absentee ballots, while enabling faster election results, creates time constraints that require voters to act quickly if they want to change their votes.

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: bridgedetroit.com