Analysis
Michigan mail returns rose, but requests grew faster
At Michigan’s one-week reporting checkpoint,2026mailreturns were4.5%above2022, while requests were13.5%higher. Returned/requested was54.6%, versus59.3%.
Evidence as of
Michigan had 1,176,375 completed mail ballots returned one week before the November 3 election, 50,129 more than at the equivalent point in 2022. That is a 4.5% increase. Requests grew faster: from 1,899,273 to 2,154,870, up 255,597, or 13.5%. Sources: More than 1.39 million Michigan voters have cast their ballot one week before the General Election
The returned ballots represented 54.6% of requests in the 2026 snapshot, compared with 59.3% one week before the 2022 election. That is 4.7 percentage points lower. Michigan had more mail ballots back, while a smaller share of its larger request pool had been returned. This measures the mail-ballot pipeline, not turnout among all registered voters or support for a party. Sources: More than 1.39 million Michigan voters have cast their ballot one week before the General Election
Early in-person voting added another 215,795 ballots in 2026, bringing the reported mail-plus-in-person total to 1,392,170. This is Michigan’s first midterm with statewide early in-person voting. The mail-only comparison keeps those additional ballots separate rather than treating the new voting option as a directly comparable 2022 total. Data: Michigan Department of State. Analysis and graphic: 21CEE. Sources: More than 1.39 million Michigan voters have cast their ballot one week before the General Election
Official comparison:November1,2022 versusOctober27,2026. The2026cutoff is7a.m.;2022hour is not stated. Counts remain mail-only.
| Measure | 2022 | 2026 | Reported snapshot difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mail ballots requested | 1,899,273 | 2,154,870 | +255,597; +13.46% |
| Completed mail ballots returned | 1,126,246 | 1,176,375 | +50,129; +4.45% |
| Returned ÷ requested | 59.30% | 54.59% | −4.71percentage points |
Sources: More than 1.39 million Michigan voters have cast their ballot one week before the General Election
Source: Michigan Department of State, published October 27, 2026. Mail counts are as of 7 a.m. October 27. Its 2022 comparison is dated November 1; that column’s time of day is not supplied. Both are one week before Election Day, not a verified same-hour comparison. Counts are returned mail ballots, not candidate votes or certified final turnout. The percentages are derived from the printed counts and rounded; they describe requests and returns, not candidate choices. Data:Michigan Department of State. Analysis and graphic:21CEE. Sources: More than 1.39 million Michigan voters have cast their ballot one week before the General Election
Sources & data
- More than 1.39 million Michigan voters have cast their ballot one week before the General Election · Michigan Department of State · (publication time unavailable)
Credits
Analysis: 21CEE editorial analysis (organization).
Corrections & updates
No corrections recorded.