In 2022, Michigan residents voted to require early in-person polling locations for all statewide and federal elections. However, this law does not include local and special elections.
Because of this, Midland, Bay, and Saginaw counties have the option to forgo this voting method for the upcoming state Senate special elections scheduled to begin in early Feb. 2026.
In the end, only Saginaw County has chosen to hold early in-person voting.
"It’s not required, it is a tremendous cost, and we are currently contracted with our 18 local jurisdictions to be the county early voting coordinator. Our agreement does not include special elections," said Bay County Clerk Kathleen Zanotti in an emailed statement to WCMU.
Midland County also cited cost as a deciding factor behind their decision to forgo early in-person voting. But as Midland County Clerk Ann Manary told WCMU, there was another reason for the lack of early in-person voting.
"Probably the biggest reason right now is that we use the Grace A. Dow Library for our early voting and it's under construction," Manary said. "So it wouldn't even be open to conduct early voting for those two elections."
All three counties will still offer mail-in absentee balloting and early in-person voting at local clerk offices.
