Michigan elections FAQ: What safeguards exist to prevent double voting?

• Bridge Michigan is answering questions from readers throughout the campaign season. 
• One reader asks: What safeguards in Michigan exist to make sure no one votes twice?
• The short answer: The Qualified Voter File and criminal penalties.

As election season draws near and political debates heat up, Bridge Michigan is inviting readers to ask questions about our purple state as part of our Elections FAQ series, which includes a weekly live video show and written responses. 

Submit your question here. 

James from Hemlock asks: What safeguards in Michigan exist to make sure no one votes twice?

In short, voting twice in the same election in Michigan is prohibited by law. 

Under state law, double voting is a felony punishable by up to four years in prison and a fine of up to $2,000. It’s a felony under federal law too, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. 

Related:

• Michigan Elections FAQ: Who are GOP delegates for Trump at RNC?
• Michigan elections FAQ: When’s the last day to register to vote?
• Michigan elections FAQ: Are noncitizens registered to vote when obtaining state ID?

Beyond the threat of punishment, what’s stopping a Michigan voter? 

Michigan voters have many options to cast a ballot this year: In person on Election Day or at an early voting site, or via absentee ballot. State officials say there are safeguards to ensure voters can’t figure out a way to vote twice. 

Most notably, each voting site has access to the Qualified Voter File, a voter records database that tracks when a ballot is submitted. Any ballot information entered at an early voting site or at a local clerk’s office is uploaded regularly to prevent duplicate ballots. 

If a voter who has already cast an absentee ballot tries to vote a second time during the early in-person voting period, for instance, the Qualified Voter File would show that, and the voter would not be issued a second ballot, according to the Secretary of State. 

In the event a voter managed to get a second ballot because their absentee ballot was mailed but not yet received, for instance, the state says the entry for the first ballot would be “flagged” in the Qualified Voter File, “and the clerk would invalidate the first ballot.”After the first ballot is invalidated, the clerk would issue a new ballot.

Voters can “spoil” an absentee ballot they’ve already returned and get another. But you can only do that through the Friday before Election Day at 5 p.m.

For absentee ballots, Michigan has more than 1,500 clerks whose offices review ballot and application signatures to see that they match existing versions on file, 

Secretary of State spokesperson Samantha May told Bridge Michigan in an email. 

Michiganders who “have cast an absentee ballot and then choose to vote at an early voting site, or at the polls on Election Day, will be turned away,” May said.

“We’ve worked hard in Michigan to put secure procedures in place to ensure every valid vote and only valid votes count.”