Elections

Michigan still has no reason absentee voting. Any registered voter can request an absentee ballot to vote prior to Election Day.

The biggest change to Absentee Voting is the addition of the Permanent Absentee Ballot List. Voters who are on the Permanent Absentee Ballot List will automatically be mailed an absentee ballot before every election.

The one exception to this is the Presidential Primary. This is the one election every four years, where a voter has to select a party specific ballot. (There is no tracking of the selected ballot type.) Voters who checked the box to be added to our permanent absentee ballot list during any of the 2023 Elections will received a mailing in late December or early January where they will be required to select their desired ballot type and return it to the Clerk's office.

With the implementation of the Permanent Absentee Ballot option, the State will be phasing out the Automatic Absentee Ballot Application option. In the past, voters who were on this list would be automatically mailed an absentee ballot application before every election. Once this option is phased out in 2025, voters who are not on the Permanent Absentee Ballot List will have to request an application in order to receive one and apply for an absentee ballot.

If you are not on the Permanent Absentee Ballot List and would like to be added, simply check the box on any absentee ballot application to be added.

If you are a snowbird, college student or regularly use a temporary alternative address, the Permanent Absentee Ballot List may not be the best option for you as the ballot will be mailed to your home address and the USPS cannot forward ballots. The best option for these voters is to apply for an absentee ballot before each election.

Request an Absentee Ballot

Michigan voters have the right to vote early and in person at an early voting site for 9 consecutive days prior to any State or Federal Election. The Early Voting process is very similar to voting on Election Day - show up, complete a voter application, mark your ballot, and place it in the tabulator.

The City of Portland Early Voting Site is being consolidated with all jurisdictions in Ionia County and will be located at the Ionia Community Library/Mercantile Bank location, 302 West Main St., Ionia, MI  48846.

There currently are not any changes to how voting takes place on Election Day. 

Registered voters in the City of Portland vote at: City Hall, 259 Kent St.

Polls are open on Election Day from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The Portland Election Commission meets prior to each election to approve the election inspectors, schedule the starting time for the Absentee Voting Counting Board and to hold the Public Accuracy Test.

The Public Accuracy Test is conducted to demonstrate the computer program used to tabulate the votes cast at the election meets the requirements of law.

The Public Accuracy Test for the November 4, 2025, Election will be held :

Tuesday, October 14, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. on the 2nd Floor of City Hall

Individuals are encouraged to register to vote as early as possible before an election. Methods and requirements for voter registration depend on the following deadlines:

If there are 15+ days before an election, individuals can register at any Michigan SOS office, online, by mail, or in person at the Clerk's office.

Within 14 days of an election, and on Election Day, individuals may only register by visiting the local clerk's office to register in person with proof of residency documentation.

Voters can check their voter registration status on the Michigan Voter Information Center.