Oakland County voters have requested 336,807 absentee ballots; express lanes return when early voting opens Saturday

Oakland County voters have requested 336,807 absentee ballots for the Nov. 3 election, The Oakland Press reported Tuesday, citing the Michigan Secretary of State's office.

Early in-person voting opens Saturday, Oct. 24, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 1. Voters who already have an absentee ballot can bring it to an early voting site and feed it into a tabulator themselves.

Express lanes for absentee ballots

The county is again offering "express lanes" at its early voting sites for voters returning a completed absentee ballot, the Oakland Press reported. The county started the program in August.

Because those voters don't need to be issued a ballot, they won't have to wait in the full line, the county clerk's office said in a statement to the Press. Workers will direct them to a tabulator.

"We are continually looking for ways to improve the voter experience," County Clerk Lisa Brown said, according to the Press.

The express lanes will be available at all of the county-run early voting sites, the paper reported.

Where the ballots are

The Press reported that Farmington voters requested the most absentee ballots in the county, at 23,466. The paper did not say whether that figure is for the city of Farmington, Farmington Hills or both. The Journal has not confirmed it.

Farmington Hills Clerk Carly Lindahl said in comments published by the Press that the city expects more voters during the early voting period this year, given the stakes of the general election.

Statewide, 789,476 voters had returned absentee ballots as of 7 a.m. Oct. 20, out of about 2.12 million requested, according to the Michigan Secretary of State. Counting 96 votes already cast at early voting sites, that is 10.7% of the state's active registered voters.

Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie urged voters with mail ballots to return them by hand. He suggested a drop box, the clerk's office, or the tabulator at an early voting site or at the polls on Election Day, instead of the mail, the Press reported.

Hours and sites

Early voting hours at the county-run sites are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day except Thursday, Oct. 29, when sites are open noon to 8 p.m., according to the Press and the county clerk's office.

The county runs 19 sites, including the central site at the Waterford Oaks Activity Center, 2800 Watkins Lake Road, Waterford, which any voter from a participating community may use. The clerk's office estimated six to eight Oakland County communities run their own early voting and aren't on the county list, the Press reported. Voters in those communities should check with their city or township clerk.

Our early voting guide lists every regional site, what ID to bring and how to return an absentee ballot.

Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voters can check registration, sample ballots and polling places at Michigan.gov/Vote.

Sources: The Oakland Press (Oct. 20, 2026), citing the Oakland County Clerk's Office and the Michigan Secretary of State; Michigan Secretary of State news release (Oct. 20, 2026); Oakland County Clerk's Office early voting information; earlier Journal coverage.