This story also appeared in Bridge Michigan

BridgeDetroit will never tell you who to vote for. But we do want you to feel informed and empowered to vote. Use this nonpartisan voter guide to help you prepare.

Detroit Votes and Bridge Michigan partnered with BridgeDetroit in the creation of this guide. If you have suggestions for election coverage, reach out: info@bridgedetroit.com | (313) 284-6407

Key Contacts

Election Protection Hotline: 866-687-8683
Office of Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey: 313-224-3270
Office of Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett: 313-224-5525

Key Dates

Thursday, Sept. 24: First day for absentee ballot voting in the General election
Monday, Oct. 19: Last day to register to vote online for the Nov. 3, 2026 General election.
Saturday, Oct. 24: First day of early in-person voting in Detroit for the General election.
Tuesday, Nov. 3: Michigan statewide General election — voters will decide the state’s next governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state legislators, members of Congress and more

Who are the statewide candidates?

Full list of candidates for every race
Governor: John James (R), Jocelyn Benson (D), Anthony Hudson, (Libertarian), Donna Brandenburg, (U.S. Taxpayers), Douglas Campbell (Green)
- Governor candidate stances on key issues: K-12 schools | Health care | Data centers | Taxes
Attorney General: Doug Lloyd (R), Eli Savit (D), Jason Dye (Libertarian), John Ludtke Jr. (U.S. Taxpayers), Jeff Polonowski (Green)
Secretary of State: Anthony Forlini (R), Garlin Gilchrist II (D), Christine Sloan (Libertarian), Scott Aughney (U.S. Taxpayers), Eric Borregard (Green)
US Senate: Mike Rogers (R), Abdul El-Sayed (D), Lydia Christensen (Libertarian), Tim Long (U.S. Taxpayers), Douglas P. Marsh (Green)
US House: Explore candidates in all 13 districts
Michigan House: Candidates in all 110 districts
Michigan Senate: Candidates in all 38 districts
State Board of Education (2 positions open, 8-year term): Terence Collins (R), Bree Moeggenberg (R), Judith Pritchett (D), Tiffany Tilley (D), Charles Essner (Libertarian), William Mohr II (U.S. Taxpayers), Christine C. Schwartz (U.S. Taxpayers), Wissam Charafeddine (Green), Mary Anne Hering (Working Class)
Justice of the Supreme Court (2 positions open, 8-year term): Megan Cavanagh (incumbent), Noah Hood (incumbent), Thomas W. Howe, Casandra Morse-Bills, Michael Warren, Jody White
Regent of the University of Michigan (8-year term, 2 positions): Lena Epstein (R), Michael Schostak (R), Paul Brown (D), Amir Makled (D), Andrew Chadderdon (Libertarian), Kyle Maas (U.S. Taxpayers)
Trustee of Michigan State University (8-year term, 2 positions): Julie Maday (R), Roger Victory (R), Brianna Scott (D), Kelly Tebay Zemke (D), Daniel R. Patterson (Libertarian), Will Tyler White (Libertarian), Janet Sanger (U.S. Taxpayers), John Sanger (U.S. Taxpayers), John Anthony La Pietra (Green), Yaz Ozbek (Working Class)
Governor of Wayne State University (8-year term, 2 positions): Andy Anuzis (R), Christa Murphy (R), Shereef Akeel (D), Richard Mack (D), Alex Avery (Libertarian), Jami Van Alstine (Libertarian), Paul M. Ragan (Green), Suzanne Roehrig (Working Class)

Who are the countywide candidates?

County Executive

Warren C. Evans (D)
Michael A. Evans (R)
John Olumba (No party affiliation)

County Commissioner – District 5 (partial term ending Jan. 1, 2028)

Angelique Peterson-Mayberry (D)
No candidate filed

3rd Circuit Court – Incumbent (there are 16 incumbent candidates running for 16 positions in this race that have 6-year-terms)

David J. Allen
Chandra W. Baker-Robinson
Christopher M. Blount
Nicole L. Castka
Bradley L. Cobb
Chris Dingell
Charlene M. Elder
Helal A. Farhat
Nicole N. Goodson
Edward J. Joseph
Mary Beth Kelly
Don Knapp
Cylenthia LaToye Miller
Carla G. Testani
Margaret M. Van Houten
Shannon Nicol Walker

3rd Circuit Court – Non-incumbent – 6-year term (1 position)

Shakira Lynn Hawkins

3rd Circuit Court – Incumbent partial term ending 01/01/2031 (1 position)

Aliyah S. Sabree

Probate court – Non-incumbent – 6-year term (3 positions)

Sarah Colegrove
Suzanne Fanning
Vanessa M. Moss

36th District Court

Incumbent – 6-year term (6 positions)
- Demetria Brue
- E. Lynise Bryant
- Adrienne Hinnant-Johnson
- Shannon A. Holmes
- Kenneth J. King
- Millicent D. Sherman
Non-incumbent – 6-year term (3 positions)
- WIlliam Burton, Jr.
- Delphia J. Burton
- Jo A. Irby
Incumbent – partial term ending 01/01/2031 (3 positions)
- Ponce D. Clay
- Herman Griffin IV
- Chastity A. Youngblood

Wayne County Community College District

District 2 trustee
- Asm Kamal Rahman
District 8 trustee
- Susan C. Steeby
District 9 trustee
- Sharon P. Scott

Who are the citywide candidates?

Congressional Districts (U.S. House)

12th District: Covers Western Detroit, along with areas like Dearborn, Redford, and Southfield.
- Rashida Tlaib (D)
- James D. Hooper R)

13th District: Covers Eastern Detroit, along with suburbs like Hamtramck and the Grosse Pointes.
- Donavan McKinney (D)
- T.P. Nykoriak (R)

What are the ballot issues Detroiters can vote on?

Note: As of Sept. 1, there is no official sample ballot to view and these ballot proposals are pending. This section will be updated.

Detroit museum millage

After years of financial hardship and stalled efforts, two longstanding Detroit cultural institutions are uniting to ask voters in Wayne and Oakland counties to support a joint operating millage in the Nov. 3 election.

The Detroit Historical Society and Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History on Tuesday launched the “Yes to Our Story” campaign, a proposal seeking a 10-year, 0.2 mill levy in Wayne and Oakland counties. The tax would amount to $30 per year for the owner of a home with an average value of $300,000, Historical Society President and CEO Elana Rugh and Wright Museum President and CEO Neil Barclay said at a news conference.

In return, residents of both counties would receive free admission to the Wright Museum and the Historical Society, which operates the Detroit Historical Museum in Midtown and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle. Currently, only small children and museum members receive free admission.

Additionally, the millage would cover free transportation for students and seniors, new curriculum and training for teachers and the publicly-owned collections for both museums would be permanently protected. Specific details on who would provide transportation are still being discussed, Rugh and Barclay said.

Money out of politics

Prohibits certain organizations and individuals — such as regulated electric and gas utilities, contractors with over $250,000 annually in government contracts, and people and organizations with substantial connections to those utilities or contractors — from making direct or indirect contributions to those who run for office, and also provide further regulations for campaign finance laws and spending on political communications

We want to hear from you!

Bridge Listens is a yearlong listening effort to identify Michigan’s most important issues and ensure politicians address them. The initiative intends to ground 2026 elections in fact-based journalism and engagement, concluding with an Issues Summit. Read all about it here.

How to vote in Michigan’s General election

Check your registration

First, verify if you are already registered by putting your information into https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/Voter/Index and it will tell you.

You need the following qualifications to vote:

Be a U.S. citizen
Be at least 17.5 years old and turn 18 before Election Day
Have lived in Detroit for at least 30 days

Registering to vote

Are you ready to register to vote? What you need to do depends on how close to the election it is.

If you aren’t already registered and it’s more than 14 days before the election, you have three options:

You can register to vote at the Detroit City Clerk’s office (2 Woodward Ave. #200 Detroit, MI 48226) or the Department of Elections (2978 W. Grand Blvd. Detroit, MI 48226) Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. You need to prove that you live at your address, so you must bring a printed record of one of the following:
- Your Michigan driver’s license or state ID card
- A utility bill, bank statement, pay check, government check or any other government document with your name and Detroit address on it.
You can register to vote online if you have a valid Michigan driver’s license or state ID here. If you don’t have one of those, you need to register in person at the City Clerk’s office.
- Oct. 19 is the last day you can register to vote online for the Nov. 3, 2026 General election.
You can mail a completed voter registration application to the Detroit City Clerk (even if you don’t have a Michigan driver’s license, state ID, or Social Security number). Your application must be postmarked 14 days before Election Day or sooner. Download a voter registration application here. Fill out your application; put your completed application in an envelope addressed to Detroit City Clerk, 2 Woodward Ave. #200, Detroit, MI 48226; stamp your envelope and put it in the mail.
- Your registration application must be postmarked on or before Oct. 19 for the Nov. 3, 2026 General election.

If it is 14 days or fewer before the election, you must register to vote in person at a Detroit Early Vote Center or the Detroit City Clerk’s office.

Starting on Oct. 20, you’ll need to register in person with the Detroit City Clerk’s office with proof of residency for the Nov. 3, 2026 General election.

Early voting

Want to vote before Election Day? You can vote in person at the Detroit City Clerk’s office or at an Early Voting Site starting nine days before Election Day.

You can vote using an absentee ballot at the Detroit City Clerk’s office located at 2 Woodward Ave. #200, Detroit, MI 48226 starting 40 days before Election Day until 4 p.m. the Monday before Election Day.
- For the Nov. 3, 2026 General Election, you can vote early in person with an absentee ballot at the Detroit City Clerk’s office starting on Sept. 24. If you are registered to vote at your current address, you can vote at the Clerk’s office until Nov. 2 at 4 p.m.
You can vote in person at a Detroit Early Voting Site. When you vote at an Early Voting Site, your voting experience will be similar to that of voting at a polling place on Election Day. You will complete your ballot, place it in a secrecy sleeve and then deposit it into the voting tabulator.

Early in-person voting centers with dropboxes

City Clerk’s Office, 2 Woodward Ave. Ste 106 48226
WCCCD Northwest Campus, 8200 W. Outer Dr. 48219
Northwest Activities Center, 18100 Meyers Rd. 48235
Farwell Recreation Center, 2711 E. Outer Dr. 48234
WCCCD Eastern Campus, 5901 Conner St. 48213
Department of Elections, 2978 W. Grand Blvd. 48202
Clark Park, 1130 Clark St. 48209
Adams Butzel Recreation Complex, 10500 Lyndon St. 48238

Drop box only locations

District 1:
- Crowell Community Center, 16630 Lahser Rd. 48219
- Rouge Park Golf Course, 11701 Burt Rd. 48228
- North Rosedale Park Community House, 18445 Scarsdale St. 48223
- Greater Grace Temple, 23500 W. Seven Mile Rd. 48219
District 2:
- Liberty Temple Baptist Church, 17188 Greenfield Rd. 48235
- Greater Emmanuel Institutional COGIC, 19190 Schaefer Hwy. 48235
- Tindal Recreation Center, 10301 W. Seven Mile Rd. 48221
- Palmer Park Community Center, 1121 Merrill Plaisance St. 48203
District 3:
- Perfecting Church, 7616 E. Nevada St. 48234
- Faith Temple, 19000 Conant St. 48234
- Greater St. Paul, 15325 Gratiot Ave. 48205
- Heilmann Recreation Center, 19601 Crusade St. 48205
District 4:
- Balduck Park, 5271 Canyon St. 48236
District 5:
- Considine Center, 8904 Woodward Ave. 48202
- Greater Christ Baptist Church, 3544 Iroquois Ave. 48214
- Horatio Williams Foundation, 1010 Antietam Ave. 48207
- Renaissance Baptist Church, 1045 E. Grand Blvd. 48207
- Butzel Family Center, 7737 Kercheval Ave. 48214
District 6:
- Detroit Pistons Performance Center, 690 Amsterdam St. 48202
- WCCCD Downtown Campus, 1001 W. Fort St. 48226
- Unity Baptist Church, 7500 Tireman Ave. 48204
- Kemeny Recreation Center, 2260 S. Fort St. 48217
District 7:
- Davison Service Yard, 8221 W. Davison 48238
- William S. Ford Memorial Church, 16400 W. Warren Ave. 48228
- Edison Library, 18400 Joy Rd. 48228
- Christ Temple Baptist Church, 10628 Plymouth Rd. 48204

Note: Some drop box locations are at the buildings listed. Some are located elsewhere in the parks or campuses. The addreses will take you to the correct locations.

Vote early from home

Prefer to vote from home? Get your absentee ballot as soon as possible. Make sure you select the option to sign up for the “permanent mail ballot list” to receive an absentee ballot in the mail before every election. Request your ballot online here.

Call the Detroit City Clerk’s office at 313-224-3270 and request an application for a ballot be mailed to you. Once you receive your application, mail it to the Detroit City Clerk’s office.

Download a ballot application form here and mail it to the Detroit City Clerk’s office: Detroit City Clerk, 2 Woodward Ave. #200, Detroit, MI 48226

Detroit Votes recommends you request your absentee ballot for the Nov. 3, 2026 General election by Oct. 13.

You can check to see if the Detroit City Clerk’s office has received your application and if your ballot has been mailed to you by filling out this online form.

Once you receive your absentee ballot, you need to:

Fill out your ballot
Place your ballot in the provided envelope
Sign the outside of the envelope with your official signature that matches your voter registration

Your ballot must be received by the Detroit City Clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Detroit Votes recommends getting your ballot in the mail at least 2 weeks before Election Day. For the Nov. 3, 2026 General election, thatmeans mailing it by Oct. 20.

Alternatively, you could drop your ballot off at the Detroit City Clerk’s office, at an Early Voting Site, or in a secure drop box. You can also have an immediate family member or someone who lives with you drop your ballot off at the Detroit City Clerk’s office.

Call the Detroit City Clerk at 313-224-3270 before 5 p.m. on the last Friday before Election Day to request that your ballot be picked up.

You can track the status of your absentee ballot here.

Voting on Election Day

If you are registered to vote, you must vote at your assigned polling place. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you are in line by 8 p.m. at your polling place, you will be able to vote.

You can find your polling place online at the Michigan Voter Information Center or by calling the Detroit City Clerk at (313) 224-3270.

Your polling place will likely be near the address you registered to vote with. But it may have changed from last year, so verify before you show up to the polling place.

If you are not registered to vote, you can also register to vote on Election Day and vote at the same time, but you will have to go to the right location.

This option is only available at the Detroit City Clerk’s office (2 Woodward Ave. #200, Detroit, MI 48226) or the Department of Elections (2978 W. Grand Blvd. Detroit, MI 48226). Make sure you bring one type (paper or electronic copy) of “proof of residency” with you. These include:

Your Michigan driver’s license or state ID cards.
A utility bill, bank statement, pay check, government check or any other government document with your name and Detroit address on it.

A note about photo ID

You do not need a photo ID to register to vote. If you register to vote in person, you will be asked to show your photo ID. If you don’t have your ID, you can sign a form provided by a poll worker and then complete your voter registration. Bring “proof of residency” with you if you are registering to vote within 14 days of Election Day.

Combatting misinformation

If you encounter what you believe to be misinformation, you can report it to the state by emailing misinformation@michigan.gov. Read more about how to be an informed voter and detect misinformation.

Voter guide 2026: Everything you need to know about voting in Detroit