Michigan Election Hub: Everything you need to vote Nov. 3

:## Final edit Working the second shift shouldn’t decide whether your ballot gets counted. But in Warren this fall, hours still matter: the clerk’s counter where a voter can register or request an absentee ballot in person closes at 5:00 p.m. on weekdays and 4:30 p.m. on the Saturday before Election Day, while the city’s drop boxes remain available around the clock. For a voter who can’t reach City Hall before the counter closes, Warren’s drop boxes may be the only game in town.

So here is a neighbor-to-neighbor checklist for voting in Warren on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. State rules come first, then Macomb County specifics, then Warren’s drop boxes, polling places, and local races. The Ledger has pressed the county and city clerks on the access questions that matter most to shift workers and renters here, and those gaps are flagged below.

State rules every Warren voter needs

• Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Polls across Michigan are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Last day to register online or by mail: Monday, October 19, 2026.
• Same-day registration: From October 20 through November 3, you can register in person at your local clerk’s office — including on Election Day itself — and vote in the same visit.
• Absentee ballots became available September 24, 2026. Early in-person voting runs October 24 through November 1, 2026.
• Online or mailed absentee ballot applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 30, 2026.
• In-person absentee voting: You can request and vote an absentee ballot in person at your clerk’s office through 4:00 p.m. on Monday, November 2, 2026.
• Ballot deadline: A completed absentee ballot must be received by your local clerk by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 3, to be counted.

Michigan voters are not required to show photo ID. A voter without ID can sign an affidavit and cast a regular ballot that is counted with every other ballot. A proposed constitutional amendment that would have required photo ID and eliminated the affidavit option did not qualify for the November 2026 ballot, so the no-ID affidavit option remains in place.

The statewide races on the ballot:

• Governor: Democrat Jocelyn Benson vs. Republican John James
• U.S. Senate: Democrat Abdul El-Sayed vs. Republican Mike Rogers
• Secretary of state: Democrat Garlin Gilchrist vs. Republican Anthony Forlini
• Attorney general: Democrat Eli Savit vs. Republican Doug Lloyd

Proposal 2026-1 asks whether Michigan should convene elected delegates in 2027 to draft a general revision of the state Constitution.

Macomb County specifics

Warren is entirely within Macomb County; no part of the city lies in Wayne County, so Warren voters use Macomb County’s clerk and ballot. As of October 6, 2026, 181,000 absentee ballots had been requested in Macomb County, part of more than 1 million requests across southeast Michigan.

Macomb County directs voters to the Michigan Voter Information Center to locate absentee-ballot drop boxes, check local clerk hours, and get a sample ballot. Under state rules, ballot drop boxes are available around the clock during the 40 days before an election, and ballots must be deposited by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Voters must use a drop box in their own city or township; a Warren resident may use a drop box in Warren but not one in another municipality such as Sterling Heights.

The Macomb County executive race is between Democratic incumbent Mark Hackel and Republican Richard Moore.

Warren is divided among three county commission districts.

• District 11: North Warren
• District 12: Southern Warren and Center Line
• District 13: Portions of Warren plus Eastpointe and St. Clair Shores

The District 1 race between Republican Ken Goike and Democrat Michael LaBuhn does not cover Warren.

Two county tax questions are on the ballot:

• Veterans’ millage renewal: 0.0690 mill for 2027 through 2030
• Public transportation millage: A new 0.94-mill levy for 2027 through 2031, replacing the expiring 0.95-mill levy

Voters in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, including Warren, will also decide whether to renew the Detroit Zoological Authority millage for 10 years at 0.1 mill.

Macomb County’s official polling-location document, updated September 22, 2026, lists precincts and voting sites and includes temporary location changes for some precincts. Voters should verify their assigned polling place before Election Day.

Warren races and places

Warren’s City Clerk’s Office is at 1 City Square, Suite 205, Warren, MI 48093. The phone number is (586) 574-4557.

• Clerk’s office hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the Saturday before Election Day for absentee-ballot requests.
• Election Day poll hours in Warren: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Drop boxes: Two outside City Hall and a third inside City Hall at the Clerk’s Office, One City Square. Warren accepts absentee applications and ballots in all three.

The city’s three drop boxes are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the voting period, and are secure, locked, and video-surveilled. The clerk’s counter, where a voter can register or request an absentee ballot in person, is available only during office hours. All three boxes may be used only by voters residing in Warren.

Warren City Clerk Sonja Buffa has recommended hand-delivering absentee ballots to City Hall or a drop box rather than risking the mail missing the 8:00 p.m. Election Day deadline.

There is no mayoral election in Warren in 2026; Mayor Lori M. Stone’s term runs through 2027. There is also no city council election on the November 3, 2026 ballot. All seven council members’ terms and Mayor Stone’s term expire November 12, 2027, and Warren’s next regular city election is in 2027.

The city council has five district seats and two at-large seats. The current members are Council President Angela Rogensues, Council Secretary Mindy Moore, Henry Newnan, Jonathan Lafferty, Gary Boike, Melody Magee, and at-large member Dave Dwyer.

Three school-board races are on the November 3 ballot in Warren.

• Van Dyke Public Schools: Jecinda Jones-Bettie and Ivan Monroe Thomas, two six-year terms
• Warren Consolidated Schools: Sharon L. Nemeth and Carmela Rudd, two six-year terms
• Warren Woods Public Schools: Jason Chamberlain and Michael Garcia, two six-year terms

What could trip you up

Warren’s three drop boxes are open around the clock, but the clerk’s counter — where a voter can register or request an absentee ballot in person — closes at 5:00 p.m. on weekdays and 4:30 p.m. on the Saturday before Election Day. That can squeeze a second-shift worker who needs in-person service at City Hall outside those hours.

Macomb County’s polling-location document lists temporary location changes for some precincts, which could confuse renters or recent movers. Verify your assigned polling place before Election Day.

If you miss the October 19 online or mail registration deadline, you can still register in person at the clerk’s office through Election Day. And if you don’t have photo ID, you can sign an affidavit and cast a regular ballot.

If you hit a hurdle — a changed polling place, a closed clerk’s counter, or a missing ID — call the Warren City Clerk’s Office at (586) 574-4557 or check the Michigan Voter Information Center before Election Day. And if you have an absentee ballot in hand, hand-deliver it to one of the drop boxes or to City Hall rather than risk the mail missing the 8:00 p.m. deadline.