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.

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel applauds the Michigan Senate for passing Senate Bills 922–925 today. This legislative package, championed by the Attorney General and the Department’s Elder Abuse Task Force, enhances protections for vulnerable adults by increasing penalties for abuse and financial exploitation, while also advancing programs aimed at bolstering prevention efforts.  

“This legislative package is a critical step toward protecting the rights and well-being of our State’s vulnerable adults,” Nessel said. “By addressing longstanding issues that have caused immense hardship to countless elders and their families, this package restores basic dignity to those most in need. I commend the Senate for passing this important legislation and remain committed to seeing the long-awaited reforms recommended by our Elder Abuse Task Force sent to the Governor’s desk.”

The legislative package aims to:

• Allow an individual who is 60 years or older, is a vulnerable adult, or has a developmental disability to petition the court to obtain an elder and vulnerable adult personal protection order (PPO);

• Include embezzlement of a vulnerable adult as a predicate offense for racketeering, allowing the Department of Attorney General and prosecutors across the State to pursue recovery of property under a 10-year statute of limitations (from the current six-year statute of limitations);

• Extend legal protections beyond a vulnerable adult’s death, ensuring that offenders whose schemes continue after the victim’s death face the same penalties as if the exploitation had occurred while the vulnerable adult was alive; and

• Allow each county or region to create a vulnerable adult multidisciplinary team to take a holistic approach to preventing, intervening, investigating, and prosecuting abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of older and vulnerable adults.

Michigan’s Elder Abuse Task Force launched in 2019 and consists of more than 55 different organizations in the public, private, and nonprofit sections – all working together to combat elder abuse. The more than 100 individuals on the Task Force are divided into seven committees working diligently to accomplish nine initiatives (PDF), including requiring certification and training for professional guardians. Achievements include the following:

• The adoption of a Vulnerable Adult Incident Report form for investigation by law enforcement across the state, including the implementation of related trainings;

• The Financial Exploitation Prevention Act (FEPA): FEPA was signed into law in 2021 to ensure mandated reporting for financial institutions on suspected fraud or exploitation;

• A complete re-write of the Power of Attorney statute; and

• A statute to make Securities Broker/Dealers and Financial Advisors mandatory reporters of suspected financial exploitation of vulnerable adults.

Earlier this year, the Department testified in support of House Bills 4909, 4910, 4911, and 4912, a bill package aimed at reforming Michigan’s guardianship statutes. The Department also supports Senate Bill 656, which would restrict the type of investments a conservator can make with estate property.

More than 100,000 older adults in Michigan are victims of elder abuse. They experience abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Michigan residents seeking elder abuse resources are encouraged to call 800-24-ABUSE (22873), or 855-444-3911 to report suspected elder abuse.

LANSING, Mich – With three weeks until Michigan’s Nov. 5 General Election, more than 2.1 million registered voters have requested an absentee ballot and more than 670,000 of those voters have submitted their completed ballot.

Approximately 31% of voters who requested absentee ballots for the upcoming election have already completed and returned their ballot, compared to about 34% who had submitted their ballots three weeks before the 2020 election. The 2020 General Election took place during the COVID-19 pandemic and its related social distancing recommendations.

As of Oct. 15, a total of 2,133,272 Michigan citizens have requested an absentee ballot or received a ballot after joining the permanent absentee ballot list. So far, 672,585 voters have returned their completed absentee ballot to be counted. A breakdown of absentee ballot requests and returns by jurisdiction is available online.

Voters can check the status of their absentee application or ballot online at Michigan.gov/Vote or by contacting their local election clerk. Voters can now register to receive those notifications directly to their email inbox. There are three ways to sign up – when registering to vote, when submitting an online absentee ballot application, or by visiting Michigan.gov/Vote and clicking on the signup link.

Voters who already received an absentee ballot should promptly complete it, sign the back of the envelope, and mail it or drop it off at their clerk’s office or designated ballot drop box.

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 by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

To cast a ballot in person, voters can go to an early voting site in their jurisdiction from Oct. 26 to Nov. 3 or to their polling place on Election Day, Nov. 5, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Some jurisdictions are offering early voting sooner in accordance with the state constitution allowing in-person early voting to start as soon as 29 days before Election Day. Visit Michigan.gov/EarlyVoting to find the days, hours, and locations where early voting sites are operating in your community.

Visit Michigan.gov/Vote for more information about elections and voting in Michigan.