Michigan to Remove Over 300,000 Inactive Voters from Rolls in April

In a significant move to enhance the integrity of its electoral process, the Michigan Secretary of State’s office plans to withdraw more than 300,000 inactive voter registrations this April. This initiative aims to ensure that voter rolls are current and accurate.

The cancellations of voter registrations occur primarily when individuals relocate beyond their voting jurisdictions, pass away, duplicate their registrations, or request removal. With over seven million active voters in Michigan, more than 5.7 million participated in the last election cycle.

In a statement, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson emphasized, “This is a milestone for Michigan’s secure and accessible election system. State and local election officials are constantly working to maintain our voter rolls transparently, accurately, and in accordance with state and federal law. Our diligent efforts to keep our voter file up to date have helped us identify and take action to legally remove over 1.1 million out-of-date registrations from the rolls, while ensuring that eligible voters retain their rights under the law.”

Currently, the state’s Qualified Voter File (QVF) contains nearly 600,000 inactive registrations. Many of these belong to voters who have neither voted in the past six years nor updated their voting information, indicating potential relocation or death.

Under both state and federal regulations, these inactive voter registrations must remain in the QVF until definitive proof of a voter’s ineligibility is obtained. This can be confirmed through the surrender of a Michigan driver’s license in another state or the return of undeliverable election mail by the U.S. Postal Service.

Residents of Michigan can verify their voter registration status by visiting Michigan.gov/Vote or reaching out to their local election officials.

Importantly, Michigan voters retain the flexibility to register or update their registration details at any time, including on Election Day, ensuring ongoing accessibility to participate in voting.