Yes — a person with a felony conviction can vote in Michigan as soon as they are released from jail or prison. Michigan law only bars voting during the time you are physically confined serving a sentence, so if you are on parole, on probation, or otherwise living in the community, you are eligible to vote right now.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 168 – Voting by Persons Confined in Jail or Prison Prohibited No pardon, court order, or special paperwork is required.
When You Lose the Right and When It Comes Back
The Michigan rule is narrower than many people assume. The only period you cannot vote is while you are serving a sentence inside a jail or prison. The restriction attaches to the physical confinement, not to the broader sentence.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 168 – Voting by Persons Confined in Jail or Prison Prohibited
A few practical consequences follow from that:
- If you were sentenced to probation with no jail time, you never lost your voting rights in the first place.
- If you served time and were released to parole, your rights returned the day you walked out.
- If you are in jail awaiting trial or sentencing but have not been convicted and sentenced, you are still eligible. You can register and request an absentee ballot from jail.
Automatic Registration After Prison
Since a law signed by Governor Whitmer in November 2023, the Michigan Department of Corrections automatically registers people to vote when they leave prison. After release, a mailer goes to your home address; if you do not want to be registered, you return it, and otherwise your registration is processed automatically. Michigan was the first state in the country to adopt this approach.
If you were released before the law took effect, or the process did not reach you, you can register yourself the same way as any other Michigan resident.
How to Register
To register in Michigan you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 by Election Day, and a resident of your city or township for at least 30 days before the election.2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 168 – Qualifications for Registration as Elector You also cannot currently be serving a sentence in jail or prison.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 168 – Voting by Persons Confined in Jail or Prison Prohibited
You have three ways to sign up:
- Online at Michigan.gov/Vote, using a valid Michigan driver’s license or state ID.
- By mail, sending a printed application to your local city or township clerk.
- In person at any Secretary of State branch, your local clerk’s office, or certain state agencies.
The deadline for online and mail registration is 15 days before Election Day. After that, you can still register in person at your city or township clerk’s office through 8 p.m. on Election Day. Bring a document showing your name and current address.
Ways to Cast Your Ballot
Michigan offers early in-person voting, absentee voting, and Election Day voting.
Early voting runs at least nine consecutive days, beginning the second Saturday before the election and ending the Sunday before Election Day, with polls open at least eight hours each day.3Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 168 – Section 168.720b
Every registered voter can request an absentee ballot without giving a reason. The Michigan Constitution guarantees that right during the 40 days before an election.4Michigan Legislature. Michigan Constitution – Article II Section 4 You can return the ballot by mail, through a secure drop box, or in person at your clerk’s office.
On Election Day, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at your assigned polling place.
Photo ID at the Polls
You will be asked for photo identification when voting in person. If you do not have one, you are not turned away. You sign an affidavit confirming your identity and cast your ballot normally.5Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 168 – Section 168.523 This matters for anyone leaving incarceration with expired or missing ID: a lost card should not stop you from voting.
Penalties for Voting While Ineligible
Voting or attempting to vote when you know you are not eligible is a felony in Michigan, punishable by up to four years in prison and a fine of up to $2,000.6Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 168 – Section 168.932a The statute turns on doing so willfully, so an honest mistake is not the same as knowingly casting a ballot while serving a sentence. If you have any doubt about your status, your local clerk can confirm your registration, and you can also check at Michigan.gov/Vote.
Other Rights That Do Not Return at Release
Voting comes back the day you leave prison, but a few other civil rights follow slower timelines. Anyone reading this and planning their reentry should keep those separate in mind.
Jury Service
Federal law disqualifies you from serving on a federal jury if you were convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year of imprisonment and your civil rights have not been restored.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 U.S. Code 1865 – Qualifications for Jury Service Michigan courts have generally treated civil rights as restored once the full sentence is complete, including any parole or probation, so jury eligibility usually comes back later than voting.
Firearm Rights
Firearm restrictions last far longer than voting restrictions. If your felony involved violence, drugs, firearms, burglary of an occupied dwelling, explosives, or arson, you cannot possess a firearm for five years after completing all conditions of your sentence, including probation and parole. After that, you also have to apply to your county concealed weapons licensing board for a formal restoration of firearm rights. For other felonies, the waiting period is three years after completing your sentence, and no application to the licensing board is required.
Federal firearm restrictions apply on top of state law and can be stricter. Talk to an attorney before purchasing or possessing a weapon if you have any doubt, because a mistake carries serious criminal consequences.
Expungement
Michigan’s Clean Slate Act created an automatic expungement process that began in April 2023. The system reviews criminal records daily and automatically sets aside eligible convictions after a waiting period: seven years for most misdemeanors and ten years for felonies, measured from sentencing or release from prison, whichever is later.8Michigan Attorney General. Automatic Expungements – Michigan Clean Slate Certain violent offenses and felonies carrying a possible life sentence are excluded. Expungement does not change your voting rights, since those were restored at release, but it can clear obstacles to employment, housing, and professional licensing.