Michigan Ranked Third for Voter Turnout

Jul 11, 2025

by Liz Gullett

As MLC’s Communications and Social Media Manager, Liz Gullett keeps clients informed and up-to-date on the goings on in Lansing and the Capitol.

During the 2024 election, Michigan’s voter turnout was ranked third in the nation. As this was the first presidential election after the passage of Proposal 2022-2, experts and interested parties were waiting to see the impact of the proposal on participation.

Statewide Data:

    • 2024 broke the state’s prior record, set in 2020, and was one of only five states to increase voter turnout from the prior presidential election.
    • Last year, 5.7 million votes were cast, which was 74.6% of eligible voters.
    • 60% of ballots were cast via early voting or by mail.
      • 2 million voted at an in-person early voting site.
      • 2 million voted by mail.
    • As of December 5, 2024, over 25% of active registered voters joined the permanent vote by mail list.
    • Over 820,000 voters were first-time voters, making up 14.5% of total turnout.
    • Over 71,000 voters who were eligible and registered to vote but inactive cast a ballot.

County Data:

    • The counties with the highest turnout of active registered voters were Leelanau (89%), Livingston (86.4%), Keweenaw (85.2%), Clinton (84.7%), and Grand Traverse (83.6%).
    • Counties with the lowest turnout of registered voters were Wayne (70.5%), Calhoun (71.2%), St. Joseph (72.3%), Branch (72.4%), and Clare (73.1%).
    • Counties with the highest percentage of voters casting a ballot by mail or at an early voting site were Benzie (74.0%), Grand Traverse (71.3%), Washtenaw (71.0%), Livingston (70.7%), and Roscommon (70.6%).
    • Counties with the lowest percentage of voters casting a ballot by mail or at an early voting site were Arenac (42.2%), Missaukee (42.5%), Oceola (42.8%), Luce (43.4%), and Gratiot (43.4%).

Proposal 2022-2:

    • Requires at least nine days of early voting.
    • Gave every voter the option to join a permanent mail-in ballot list.
    • Requires ballot drop boxes for every jurisdiction.
    • This proposal was approved by over 66% of voters in 2018.

To read the full report by the Michigan Department of State, please click here.

Michigan Legislative Consultants is a bipartisan lobbying firm based in Lansing, Michigan. Our team of lobbyists and procurement specialists provide a wide range of services for some of the most respected companies in America. For more on MLC, visit www.mlcmi.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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