Michigan voter guide

WDET's 2024 Voter Guide

Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET is committed to offering trusted and accurate information on voting, ballot access, candidates and key issues. Bookmark this page for the latest information from the WDET newsroom.

 
Days until Election Day

Key dates

The general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. Registered voters can cast their ballot at their assigned polling location from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. ET.

Voter registration deadline:

  • Register online or by mail by Oct. 21 (postmarked)
  • Register in-person at your local clerk’s office up to Election Day

Absentee ballot deadline:

Early in-person voting:

  • Opens on Saturday, Oct. 26 and will continue for a minimum of nine consecutive days
  • Some communities may extend the early voting period, but all early in-person voting must end by Sunday, Nov. 3
 

Helpful links

Key national races

U.S. President

Former President Donald Trump will face Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Both candidates have spent a significant amount of time campaigning in swing states like Michigan in the last few weeks ahead of the general election. Third-party candidates Jill Stein (Green Party), Chase Oliver (Libertarian Party) and Cornel West (Independent) will also be on the ballot, along with Natural Law Party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who ended his campaign in August and has since tried repeatedly to remove his name from the ballot.

Click here to compare each candidate’s views on key issues like the economy, abortion, immigration, foreign conflicts and marijuana.

U.S. Senate

Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin is facing off against former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat  — left vacant by retiring Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow. The candidates have engaged in two public debates, during which the economy, gun control, immigration and the cost of health care were hot topics. Five third-party candidates will also be on the ballot, including Douglas Marsh (Green Party), Joseph Solis-Mullen (Libertarian), Doug Dern (Natural Law Party), Dave Stein (U.S. Taxpayers Party), and James Frizzell (Independent).

Click here to compare each candidate’s views on key issues

U.S. House of Representatives

All of Michigan’s 13 U.S. House seats will be on the November ballot, but not all are expected to be competitive. There are 11 incumbents running for reelection, with six of them facing primary challengers. 

In Michigan’s 10th Congressional District in Macomb County, Democrat Carl Marlinga is facing Republican incumbent John James, who defeated Marlinga in the last election by only about 1,600 votes — or half of one percentage point. Third-party candidates Mike Saliba (Libertarian Party) and Andrea Kirby (Working Class Party) are also running for the seat.

Click here to compare each candidate’s views on key issues

GOP Congresswoman Lisa McClain is seeking a third term against Democrat Clint St. Mosley in Michigan’s conservative 9th District, encompassing the thumb region and parts of northern metro Detroit. Third-party candidates Kevin Vayko (Libertarian Party) and Jim Walkowicz (Working Class Party) will also face McClain, who won the district by roughly 30 percentage points in 2022.

Click here to compare each candidate’s views on key issues

In Wayne County, first-term Congressman Shri Thanedar is seeking reelection in the 13th District, facing Republican Martell Bivings — who lost his bid for the seat two years ago to Thanedar by 110,000 votes. Third-party candidates Christopher Clark (Libertarian Party), Christopher Dardzinksi (U.S. Taxpayers Party) and Simone Coleman (Working Class Party) are also on the ballot.

Click here to compare each candidate’s views on key issues

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell is running for reelection in Michigan’s 6th Congressional District, which includes all of Washtenaw County and parts of Wayne, Monroe and Oakland counties. Dingell will face Republican challenger Heather Smiley, a retired Ford employee, as well as Green Party candidate Clyde Shabazz and Libertarian candidate Bill Krebaum.

Click here to compare each candidate’s views on key issues

In Michigan’s 12th Congressional District, encompassing portions of Wayne and Oakland counties, incumbent U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib is facing Republican challenger James Hooper. Third-party candidates Brenda Sanders (Green Party) and Gary Walkowicz (Working Class Party) will also be on the ballot.

Click here to compare each candidate’s views on key issues

The state’s 11th Congressional District incumbent, Democrat Haley Stevens, faces Republican challenger Nick Somberg and Green Party candidate Douglas Campbell. The 11th Congressional District includes Ferndale, Royal Oak, Pontiac, Oak Park, Troy, Farmington Hills and surrounding areas. 

Click here to compare each candidate’s views on key issues

The races to fill the open seats left by Slotkin (D-Lansing) in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District and outgoing U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint) in the 8th Congressional District are both considered a “Democratic toss up,” according to latest numbers from the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

Democrats currently hold seven U.S. House seats in Michigan, with Republicans holding six.

Click here for a full list of U.S. House candidates on the ballot in each district.

Key state races

Michigan House of Representatives

All 110 Michigan House seats will be on the ballot this November, with Republicans hoping for a power shift that could put an end to the supermajority Democrats have held in the state since the 2022 midterms.

Democrats currently hold a slim two-seat majority in both the state House and Senate, which has allowed them to pass an array of progressive policies such as abortion protections, gun safety, repealing the state’s 2012 right-to-work law and more.

Michigan’s 38 Senate seats and the governor’s office won’t be on the ballot again until 2026.

Michigan Supreme Court

There are four candidates running to fill two open seats on the Michigan Supreme Court in November — one partial and one-full term.

University of Michigan law professor Kimberly Ann Thomas is running against state Rep. Andrew Fink (R-Hillsdale) for the full, eight-year term.

Incumbent Justice Kyra Harris Bolden — appointed to the Court in 2022 by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to replace retiring Justice Bridget Mary McCormack — is running against Republican-nominated Branch County Circuit Judge Patrick William O’Grady to finish the partial term ending in 2028.

With two seats up for grabs, this election has the potential to flip control of the court. Democratic-backed justices currently hold a 4-3 majority on the bench.

Michigan Board of Education

Eight candidates are vying for two open seats on the Michigan State Board of Education.

Republican incumbents Tom McMillin and Nikki Snyder will defend their seats against Democratic challengers Theodore Jones and Adam Zemke. Third-party candidates Scott Boman (Libertarian Party), Ted Gerrard (U.S. Taxpayers Party), Christine Schwartz (U.S. Taxpayers Party) and Mary Anne Hering (Working Class Party) will also be on the ballot.

The state board does not create education policy, but it does give recommendations to the Michigan Department of Education, legislators, and the state superintendent of schools. It also has the authority to hire or fire the superintendent. The two winners of the race will each serve an eight-year term on the board.

Click here to compare each candidate’s views on key issues

Wayne State University Board of Governors

Governors are responsible for general supervision of the university and its finances. The board also hires Wayne State’s president. Each of the eight members serve eight-year staggered terms.

There are nine people running for two spots that expire in January. Candidates are nominated at party conventions. Rasha Demashkieh and incumbent Mark Gaffney are the Democrats in the race. Incumbent Michael Busuito and Sunny Reddy are the Republican candidates. Third-party candidates Farid Ishac (Libertarian Party), William Mohr II (U.S. Taxpayers Party), Sami Makhoul (Green Party), Suzanne Roehrig (Working Class Party) and Kathleen Oakford (Natural Law Party) will also be on the ballot.

Click here to compare each candidate’s views on key issues

University of Michigan Board of Regents

Regents are responsible for general supervision of the university and its finances. The board also hires U-M’s president. Each of the eight members serve eight-year staggered terms.

There are six candidates running for two spots that expire in January 2025. Candidates are nominated at party conventions. The Democrats in the race are incumbent Denise Ilitch, who has served on the board since 2008, and Shauna Ryder Diggs. Carl Meyers and Sevag Vartanian are the Republican candidates. Libertarian Andrew Chadderdon and Donna Oetman of the U.S. Taxpayers Party are also on the ballot.

Click here to compare each candidate’s views on key issues

Michigan State University Board of Trustees

Trustees are responsible for general supervision of the university and its finances. The board also hires MSU’s president. Each of the eight members serve eight-year staggered terms. There are eight people running for two spots that expire in January. Candidates are nominated at party conventions. There are no incumbents running in this race.

Democrats Rebecca Bahar-Cook and Thomas Stallworth III are in the race. Mike Balow and Julie Maday were nominated by the Republican Party. The U.S. Taxpayers Party candidates are Janet Sanger and John Paul Sanger. John Anthony La Pietra is running for the Green Party and Grant T Baker is representing the Libertarian Party.

Click here to compare each candidate’s views on key issues

More races to watch:

VOTER INTIMIDATION HOTLINE:

English: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)

Spanish bilingual: 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682)

Arabic bilingual: 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287)

Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Urdu, Hindi, and Bengali (all bilingual): 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683)

American Sign Language video-call: 301-818-VOTE (301-818-8683)

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