Dearborn ballot access tested by Nov. 3 election changes

DEARBORN — For Dearborn voters, the defining access question on Nov. 3 is not whether polling places will close, but whether the registration book still has their name when they arrive.

All 42 of the city’s precincts are set to use their same neighborhood polling places for the general election, according to the city’s precinct map. No consolidation or closure has been announced. Voters must cast ballots at their own assigned precinct, and polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Those familiar sites include McDonald School, Snow School, Howard School, Haigh School, Long School, Dearborn High School, First Presbyterian Church and Clara Bryant School.

The rule that could cancel registrations

Under the list-maintenance measure highlighted in the state Attorney General’s Aug. 28 report, election officials mail a notice to any registered voter who has gone 20 years or more without voting or updating their registration. If that person does not respond and does not vote during two federal election cycles, the registration can be canceled. More than 180,000 Michigan voter registrations are already scheduled for future cancellation under that 20-year inactivity rule.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said the state keeps room for those voters to return: “Many people who are registered choose not to vote, sometimes for several election cycles. In every election, a few thousand of these inactive voters do show up to vote for the first time in years.”

The rule does not turn anyone away at the door. A voter who is merely inactive can still cast a ballot, and anyone whose registration is canceled can re-register — including on Election Day itself. Dearborn voters can check whether their own names are still active at Michigan.gov/Vote before Nov. 3.

Photo ID rules

Michigan’s in-person voters are asked for an acceptable photo ID but do not need one to cast a ballot. A voter who arrives without ID may sign an Affidavit of Voter Not in Possession of Picture Identification, receive a regular ballot, and have it counted like any other. Acceptable photo ID includes:

• a Michigan driver’s license or state personal ID, even if expired
• a current driver’s license or personal ID from another state
• a current federal, state, county or local government photo ID
• a current U.S. passport, military photo ID, tribal photo ID or student ID

The ID does not have to list the voter’s current address.

Arabic ballots, early voting and absentee options

The stakes of ballot access in Dearborn are reflected in the census. The city counted 109,976 people in 2020; an estimated 44.1% — about 48,520 residents — are of Arab ancestry, and 54.5%, roughly 59,983 people, identify with Middle Eastern or North African ancestry. About 30% of residents were born outside the United States, and Arabic is the home language of close to 40,000 residents age 5 and older — nearly 46% of that age group.

This cycle, the city offers ballots and absentee ballot applications in Arabic as well as English. Every city voter may choose either language, and 2026 sample ballots are posted in Arabic. No reduction in Arabic-language ballots, sample materials, or in-language poll-worker assistance has been announced.

City Clerk George T. Darany said the Arabic ballot extends work the city began years ago: “In addition to Arabic sample ballots, which have been available since 2019, and Arabic-speaking poll workers who have been working to assist voters for the past twenty years, the Arabic ballot is yet another tool to help non-English speaking voters cast their vote and make their voice heard.”

• Early in-person voting: Oct. 24 through Nov. 1, 2026, every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave. This is the same center and daily pattern used for the August primary’s early voting period, July 25 through Aug. 2.
• Statewide early voting: opens Oct. 24 under the state’s mandated schedule.
• Absentee ballots: available since Sept. 24, 2026. Voters may vote absentee without stating a reason. Completed applications can be returned in person, by mail or by email; completed ballots can be returned in person, by mail, or through the city’s secure drop boxes.

A ballot error elsewhere in the county

A printing error in another corner of Wayne County left a library-board race off already-mailed absentee ballots in Belleville, Sumpter Township and Van Buren Township. Corrected ballots went back out to roughly 8,500 to 10,000 affected voters. Officials stress those townships’ Election Day polling places and hours were unchanged.

Check your name and precinct before Nov. 3

The fastest way to confirm both are current is the lookup the city itself directs Dearborn voters to: Michigan.gov/Vote, for registration status and assigned precinct.

• City of Dearborn: City Clerk George T. Darany, Dearborn Administrative Center, 16901 Michigan Ave., 313-943-2010, [email protected], weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Wayne County: County Clerk Cathy M. Garrett’s Elections Division, 2 Woodward Ave., Suite 502, Detroit, (313) 224-5525, [email protected], weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Garrett’s standing instruction: “Voting Is Not Only Your Right; Make It Your Responsibility!”

Anyone whose name has been canceled under the 20-year rule can re-register — including on Election Day — so a Nov. 3 line at the clerk’s table is surmountable, but not as fast as a precinct that still has you on the books. That is the reason to check Michigan.gov/Vote now, before the booths open.