Don’t Toss Those Returned Early Voting Postcards —Michigan Law Says They’re Important

By Patrice Johnson

Founder and Chair, Michigan Fair Elections and Pure Integrity Michigan Elections

July 21, 2026

Every registered Michigan voter recently received an Early Voting postcard from the Secretary of State announcing the availability of early voting and providing election-related information. As with every statewide mailing, some of those postcards are now making their way back to local clerks marked “undeliverable,” “unable to forward,” or with other Postal Service notations indicating they could not be delivered to the voter at the registered address.

For many clerks, those returned postcards may simply appear to be another stack of undeliverable mail.

In fact, they represent something much more valuable and legally significant.

When evaluated carefully, returned Early Voting postcards may constitute reliable information under Michigan law that a registered voter no longer resides at the address listed in the Qualified Voter File (QVF). Used appropriately, they provide clerks with an excellent opportunity to verify voter addresses, update registration records where required by law, and improve the overall accuracy of their voter rolls.

As Michigan clerks begin processing these returned Early Voting postcards, it is worth reviewing the procedures established in MCL 168.509aa and Michigan Administrative Rules R 168.251–R 168.262 (eff. Feb. 23, 2026), and the responsibilities that accompany receipt of reliable address information.

The process diagram below illustrates how a returned postcard moves through confirmation, Verify status, and—if unresolved—Challenge status to eventual cancellation. A voter can return to Active status at any point simply by confirming their address or casting a ballot. That off-ramp applies throughout the process below.

When Mail Is Returned

Under MCL 168.509aa, a clerk who receives reliable information, such as a USPS mail return, may conclude that a registered voter has moved within the city or township, or to another Michigan city or township. In that case, the clerk is required to send the voter a confirmation notice by forwardable mail.

Issuing the confirmation notice serves several purposes:

• It places the voter into “Verify” status within the Qualified Voter File (QVF).

• It rescinds any standing application to automatically receive absent voter ballots for future elections. (When the clerk prints automatic mailer labels, the clerk should verify that no labels were printed for a voter in Challenged (CH) or Verify (V) status.)

• This begins the statutory voter confirmation process established under Michigan law and starts the cancellation countdown described in R 168.251(b).

Section 6 of MCL 168.509aa specifically provides:

“A notice sent to an elector under subsection (2), (3), or (5) must include a warning to the elector that any prior absent voter ballot application submitted by the elector for all future elections is rescinded and the elector will not be sent an absent voter ballot for any future elections unless the elector submits a new absent voter ballot application.”

Although QVF may perform some of these actions automatically, clerks should verify that the voter’s status has been updated correctly. If it has not, the necessary changes should be made manually.

If the Confirmation Notice Is Also Returned

If the USPS subsequently returns the confirmation notice as undeliverable, Michigan law calls for an additional step. But the specific mechanism depends on which notice was sent.

For notices sent under subsection (2) (moved within the township) or subsection (3) (moved to another Michigan city or township), MCL 168.509aa(4) is explicit: if that notice is returned undeliverable, the clerk shall identify the voter’s registration record as challenged, and the board of election inspectors must challenge that voter at the next election in which they appear to vote.

This is the pathway most relevant to returned Early Voting postcards, since the great majority of address changes flagged this way involve in-state moves. (About 10% of the population relocates annually.)

A notice sent under subsection (5)—triggered when the Department of State receives a surrendered Michigan driver’s license indicating an out-of-state move—does not carry that same “if returned, challenge” clause. Cancellation in that scenario runs instead off subsection (5)(c)’s own two-election-cycle timeline, without an intermediate Challenge-status step. Clerks using this article as a reference for out-of-state-move notices should consult subsection (5) directly rather than assuming the Challenge-status pathway applies.

In both pathways, sending the initial confirmation notice establishes the voter’s Cancellation Countdown Date (CCD), a term formalized in R 168.251(b). If the voter neither confirms their registration nor participates in voting during the next two federal general election cycles, Michigan law provides for removal of that registration from the voter rolls.

Exercise Appropriate Judgment

Clerks should apply these procedures thoughtfully.

There are legitimate circumstances in which election mail may be returned even though the voter remains properly registered. For example, individuals who are temporarily living elsewhere may have USPS mail forwarding in place. Because the Postal Service generally does not forward ballots or ballot applications—and it is unclear whether the same restrictions apply to Early Voting postcards—returned mail alone does not necessarily establish that a voter has permanently moved.

Notably, the confirmation notice a clerk sends in response must itself go out by forwardable mail, which is a separate requirement from whatever mail class applied to the original postcard.

For that reason, clerks should consider the circumstances surrounding each returned mailing and rely on their knowledge of local voters when determining whether a confirmation notice is appropriate. R 168.252 leaves the “reliable information” determination fact-specific rather than automatic.

A Good Opportunity for Routine List Maintenance

The recent statewide mailing of Early Voting postcards provides a unique opportunity because every registered voter address received the mailing. As returned postcards arrive, clerks can use the procedures established in MCL 168.509aa and R 168.251–R 168.262 to verify addresses where appropriate and improve the overall accuracy of voter registration records.

Returned Early Voting postcards should not be viewed in isolation. Similar procedures apply whenever clerks receive other reliable address information, including returned voter identification cards and other official election mail.

Maintaining accurate voter registration records is an ongoing responsibility. Consistent application of Michigan’s existing statutory procedures helps ensure voter rolls remain current while preserving every eligible voter’s opportunity to maintain an active registration.

This article is provided for educational purposes and summarizes Michigan’s statutory voter-registration maintenance procedures. Clerks should consult the Michigan Election Law, applicable Secretary of State guidance, and their legal counsel regarding specific situations.