---
title: "Early Voting Opens to a Busy First Day in Lansing"
url: https://www.herelansing.com/2026/10/25/lansing-early-voting-opens-busy-first-day/
date: 2026-10-25T05:35:13-04:00
modified: 2026-10-25T05:35:13-04:00
author: "Carter C. Zielinski"
categories: ["Politics"]
site: "HERE Lansing"
attribution: "HERE Lansing"
---

# Early Voting Opens to a Busy First Day in Lansing

> LANSING, Mich. — Lansing voters did not wait long to cast ballots ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, with roughly 250 people casting ballots at the city’s two early voting sites by 11:30 a.m. Saturday, the first day of the statewide period in Lansing, Mich. City Clerk Chris Swope said the opening day was

*Source: [HERE Lansing](https://www.herelansing.com/2026/10/25/lansing-early-voting-opens-busy-first-day/) — October 25, 2026 by Carter C. Zielinski*

LANSING, Mich. — Lansing voters did not wait long to cast ballots ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, with roughly 250 people casting ballots at the city’s two early voting sites by 11:30 a.m. Saturday, the first day of the statewide period in Lansing, Mich.

City Clerk Chris Swope said the opening day was busier than the start of early voting before the August primary, which he tied to the higher interest a general election draws. He said early voting has grown in the city since the option first reached every Michigan community in 2024, and he expects that climb to keep going.

His office has been reaching out to residents of newer apartment complexes on the east side, including along East Michigan Avenue, where the line between Lansing and East Lansing can leave voters unsure which clerk serves them.

Under a constitutional amendment voters approved in 2022, every Michigan community must offer at least nine days of early voting. The Michigan Department of State says each site must stay open a minimum of eight hours daily, with the window closing Sunday, Nov. 1. Voters get a ballot, mark it and feed it into the tabulator, the same as on Election Day.

Residents who still hold a mail ballot can return it at an early voting site. Unregistered residents can still register in person with proof of residency, as late as 8 p.m. when polls close on Election Day, and vote on the spot. Statewide, more than 780,000 voters had already returned a mail ballot or voted early two weeks before the election.