WDET's 2024 Voter Guide

Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET is committed to offering trusted and accurate information on voting, ballot access, candidates and key issues. Bookmark this page for the latest information from the WDET newsroom.

Days until Election Day

Key dates

The general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. Registered voters can cast their ballot at their assigned polling location from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. ET.

Voter registration deadline:

  • Register online or by mail by Oct. 21 (postmarked)
  • Register in-person at your local clerk’s office up to Election Day

Absentee ballot deadline:

  • Submit online application by 5 p.m. Nov. 1
  • Return ballot by mail or in person by 8 p.m. on Election Day

Early in-person voting:

  • Opens on Saturday, Oct. 26 and will continue for a minimum of nine consecutive days.
  • Some communities may extend the early voting period, but all early in-person voting must end by Sunday, Nov. 3.
 

Helpful links

Key national races

U.S. President

Former President Donald Trump will face Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Both candidates have spent a significant amount of time campaigning in swing states like Michigan in the last few weeks ahead of the general election. Third party candidates Jill Stein (Green Party), Chase Oliver (Libertarian Party) and Cornel West (Independent) will also be on the ballot, along with Natural Law Party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who ended his campaign in August and has since tried repeatedly to remove his name from the ballot.

Click here to compare each candidate’s views on key issues.

U.S. Senate

Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin is facing off against former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat  — left vacant by retiring Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow. The candidates have engaged in two public debates, during which the economy, gun control, immigration and the cost of health care were hot topics. Five third party candidates will also be on the ballot, including Douglas Marsh (Green Party), Joseph Solis-Mullen (Libertarian), Doug Dern (Natural Law Party), Dave Stein (U.S. Taxpayers Party), and James Frizzell (Independent).

U.S. House of Representatives

All of Michigan’s 13 U.S. House seats will be on the November ballot, but not all are expected to be competitive. There are 11 incumbents running for reelection, with six of them facing primary challengers. 

In Michigan’s 10th Congressional District in Macomb County, Democrat Carl Marlinga is facing Republican incumbent John James, who defeated Marlinga in the last election by only about 1,600 votes — or half of one percentage point. Third party candidates Mike Saliba (Libertarian Party) and Andrea Kirby (Working Class Party) are also running for the seat.

GOP Congresswoman Lisa McClain is seeking a third term against Democrat Clint St. Mosley in Michigan’s conservative 9th District, encompassing the thumb region and parts of northern metro Detroit. Third-party candidates Kevin Vayko (Libertarian Party) and Jim Walkowicz (Working Class Party) will also face McClain, who won the district by roughly 30 percentage points in 2022.

In Wayne County, first-term Congressman Shri Thanedar is seeking reelection in the 13th District, facing Republican Martell Bivings — who lost his bid for the seat two years ago to Thanedar by 110,000 votes. Third party candidates Christopher Clark (Libertarian Party), Christopher Dardzinksi (U.S. Taxpayers Party) and Simone Coleman (Working Class Party) are also on the ballot.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell is running for reelection in Michigan’s 6th Congressional District, which includes all of Washtenaw County and parts of Wayne, Monroe and Oakland counties. Dingell will face Republican challenger Heather Smiley, a retired Ford employee, as well as Green Party candidate Clyde Shabazz and Libertarian candidate Bill Krebaum.

In Michigan’s 12th Congressional District, encompassing portions of Wayne and Oakland counties, incumbent U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib is facing Republican challenger James Hooper. Third party candidates Brenda Sanders (Green Party) and Gary Walkowicz (Working Class Party) will also be on the ballot.

The races to fill the open seats left by Slotkin (D-Lansing) in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District and outgoing U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint) in the 8th Congressional District are both considered a “Democratic toss up,” according to latest numbers from the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Democrats currently hold seven U.S. House seats in Michigan, with Republicans holding six.

Click here for a full list of U.S. House candidates on the ballot in each district.

Key state races

Michigan House of Representatives

All 110 Michigan House seats will be on the ballot this November, with Republicans hoping for a power shift that could put an end to the supermajority Democrats have held in the state since the 2022 midterms.

Democrats currently hold a slim two-seat majority in both the state House and Senate, which has allowed them to pass an array of progressive policies such as abortion protections, gun safety, repealing the state’s 2012 right-to-work law and more.

Michigan’s 38 Senate seats and the governor’s office won’t be on the ballot again until 2026.

More races to watch:

VOTER INTIMIDATION HOTLINE:

English: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)

Spanish bilingual: 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682)

Arabic bilingual: 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287)

Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Urdu, Hindi, and Bengali (all bilingual): 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683)

American Sign Language video-call: 301-818-VOTE (301-818-8683)

WDET’s election coverage is supported by:

Ruby Duffield

Mary Ann and Carl Fontana

Share your election questions with us »

Latest election coverage from WDET

Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.

WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. 

If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.

Give now »