More Michiganders voted in the November 3, 2026 midterm election than in any previous Michigan midterm on record, according to preliminary results.

As of Wednesday afternoon, November 4, more than 4.76 million voters had participated in Michigan’s general election, according to Associated Press figures reported by MLive.

Approximately 97% of votes had been counted when those figures were reported, so the final number may change.

The previous midterm record was set in 2022, when approximately 4.5 million Michiganders voted. The 2026 count had already exceeded that figure by more than 260,000 votes.

How Does 2026 Compare With Previous Elections?

Michigan’s recent statewide elections show how many people have participated:

• 2022 midterm election: Approximately 4.5 million voters.
• 2024 presidential election: More than 5.7 million voters, the state’s overall turnout record.
• 2026 midterm election: More than 4.76 million voters, based on preliminary counts reported November 4.

The 2026 total is the highest reported for a Michigan midterm since at least 1950, the earliest year covered in MLive’s historical comparison.

Although the 2026 midterm did not exceed turnout in the 2024 presidential election, it surpassed the previous midterm participation record.

Millions of Michiganders Voted Before Election Day

The November 3 election was also Michigan’s first midterm general election with statewide early in-person voting available to all eligible voters.

Michigan’s Department of State reported that more than 2.3 million people had already voted by November 2, the day before Election Day.

That included more than 743,000 early in-person voters and more than 1.5 million returned absentee ballots.

By late Election Day, the Department of State reported that more than 1.85 million absentee ballots had been returned, and more than 750,000 people had voted at early voting sites.

The state also reported that more than 15,600 Michigan residents registered and voted at their local clerk’s office on Election Day.

These figures show the different ways Michigan voters participated, including voting early, returning absentee ballots, and registering in person on Election Day.

What About Turnout in Michigan Communities?

Statewide records don’t mean every community experienced the same change in turnout.

For example, preliminary results in Saginaw County showed 86,844 ballots cast, representing 54.7% of registered voters, compared with 52.2% in the 2022 midterm election.

Reporting from WKAR also found differences among mid-Michigan counties. Turnout increased compared with 2022 in Ingham, Eaton, and Jackson counties, while Clinton County saw a decrease.

Local figures are still unofficial and will be finalized through the certification process.

The Counting and Certification Process Continues

Election night is not the end of the counting process.

Michigan’s local election officials report unofficial results, and bipartisan county boards of canvassers review election records, resolve discrepancies, and certify the results.

County boards are required to certify results by November 17, followed by statewide certification by the Michigan Board of State Canvassers by November 23.

That means the numbers reported immediately after Election Day are preliminary, even when they already show that a participation record has been surpassed.

You can find statewide election information and results through the Michigan Department of State.

Voting Access Beyond Election Day

The record participation numbers come as VAAC continues its work sharing voter education, ballot information, and voting rights guidance with people impacted by incarceration, poverty, housing instability, and other barriers to civic participation.

In the days before November 3, VAAC ambassadors and volunteers visited residential facilities and community locations, answered questions about Michigan’s voting rules, and helped people understand their ballots and voting options.

Michigan’s turnout record tells us how many people participated statewide. It does not tell us how many eligible voters faced obstacles to participation, or how those obstacles differed among communities.

Those questions remain important as we look beyond Election Day and continue working to make accurate voting information and opportunities for civic participation accessible.

Read more: MLive’s report on Michigan’s record midterm turnout.