DETROIT, Mich. – Today, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson launched the Michigan Voting Dashboard, an interactive tool that allows the public to access election data by county and jurisdiction with a focus on absentee and early voting. Secretary Benson announced the new dashboard while speaking in Detroit alongside partners from the Center for Civic Design, who helped design the look and feel of the dashboard, and the University of Michigan School of Information (UMSI).

“Democracy works best with an informed and engaged electorate, and I’m very excited today to announce our latest effort to make government more transparent and accessible to the people we serve,” said Secretary Benson. “We know that election misinformation frustrates voters. We also know that official sources of information are more important than ever to help center our conversation on the rule of law, on the truth, and on the security of the system. Making those official sources of information more user-friendly, more accessible, and easier to understand makes them more useful. It prebunks misinformation and builds trust in our elections.”

“Today’s release of the elections data dashboard puts Michigan at the forefront of election data transparency and innovation,” said Whitney Quesenbery, Director of the Center for Civic Design. “Built with cutting-edge design and technology best practices, this dashboard makes election data easily accessible and understandable, while presenting those data beautifully. I am confident that this dashboard will spur further innovation and trust in Michigan’s election administration, and I applaud Secretary Benson for this monumental achievement.”

“It’s important that voters are able to distinguish a trusted source by providing a look under the hood like this tool does in the ballot request, ballot returns, early voting, and turnout statewide,” said Canton Township Clerk Michael Siegrist. “Most importantly, the information is provided by legal members and is distributed through the department’s trusted dashboard. It is trusted, reliable information that anyone can see how their community is, and the public will have a better understanding of how elections work.”

The dashboard is available online at Michigan.gov/VotingDashboard. Data is posted starting 45 days before each Election Day, reporting the number of absentee ballots requested by voters, the number of absentee ballots completed and returned to be tabulated, and the number of ballots cast at early voting sites. The totals are broken down by county and jurisdictions.

Data on the dashboard is updated daily and is pulled from the state’s Qualified Voter File (QVF). The QVF is the secure database of voters used by the Michigan Bureau of Elections and more than 1,600 election clerks throughout the state. The dashboard will not display information about individual voters to protect their right to ballot secrecy.

The Michigan Department of State and Bureau of Elections are working with the students at UMSI enrolled in a year-long User Experience capstone course to further develop the dashboard. The team intends to release more data in 2025.

“University of Michigan School of Information students are shaping the future by tackling challenges at the intersection of people, technology, and data,” said UMSI Dean Andrea Forte. “In this year of democracy, civic empowerment, and global engagement, we are proud to have the opportunity to partner with the Michigan Department of State and highlight the university’s commitment to elevating expertise and applying research that increases understanding, fosters transparency, and enables democracy to flourish.”

“I believe data can be a powerful tool for positive change, whether it’s improving communication, enhancing user experience, or making critical systems like election dashboards more transparent and accessible,” said Jackson Gelbard, a student at UMSI who spoke at the press conference. “I’m honored and excited to work on a project where I can leverage my passion for data and technology to make meaningful impact as students, we see this as an incredible opportunity to apply what we’ve learned at the University of Michigan School of Information to contribute positively to the future.”

Absentee voting is already underway for the General Election. Early in-person voting will begin statewide on Saturday, Oct. 26 but some communities will offer early voting sooner. Visit Michigan.gov/EarlyVoting for the nearest early voting sites with their hours and days of operation.

Eligible Michigan citizens can register to vote online or by mail until Monday, Oct. 21, or in person at their local clerk’s office with proof of residency until 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5.

Visit Michigan.gov/Vote for more registration and voting information.