Michigan residents in Traverse City and across the state will receive a new mailing next month that gives them a straightforward way to remove themselves from voter rolls if they choose. The change takes effect June 1 and stems from legislation Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed in 2023.
The Michigan Department of State announced the updated automatic voter registration process on Friday. The department will now send every newly registered voter a confirmation notice, a prepaid envelope, and a form they can mail back to opt out.
A simpler opt-out path
Michigan voters approved automatic voter registration through a constitutional amendment in 2018. The Michigan Department of State launched the system in 2019. It registers eligible people to vote when they get or renew a driver's license or state ID.
Under the updated process, residents will still be registered or preregistered automatically when they complete qualifying transactions at branch offices. The difference is what happens next.
"The department will then send newly registered voters a confirmation notice, a prepaid envelope and a form they can mail back to opt out," the department said in a statement reported by abc12.
The department removes registrations from the Qualified Voter File after receiving completed opt-out forms. It then alerts local clerks.
Who qualifies
Only U.S. citizens qualify for automatic voter registration. Residents ages 16 to 17.5 are automatically preregistered. They become fully registered when they turn 18.
Voters can also cancel their registration at any time by submitting a written request directly to their city or township clerk. That option has always been available.
The legislation behind the change includes Public Acts 260, 261, 262 and 268. Those laws created the new mail-based opt-out system for automatic voter registration and preregistration.
Why it matters to Traverse City
Traverse City residents who visit a Secretary of State office in Grand Traverse County or elsewhere in the state will be automatically registered to vote if they are eligible. The new opt-out mailing gives them a clear paper trail to reverse that registration if they do not want to be on the voter rolls.
The change does not expand who gets registered. It only changes how registered voters can opt out.
According to WNEM, information about automatic registration and preregistration is posted each month by the Bureau of Elections and can be found on the department's website.
The June 1 deadline means Traverse City voters who complete transactions at Secretary of State offices starting next week will be among the first to receive the new opt-out mailing.