While Oct. 21 is the last day to register via mail or online, people looking to vote can still register in-person at the county clerk’s office with proof of residency up until election day.

On election day, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Brody Hall, the MSU Union and IM Sports East and West. If a person is in line when polls close they are guaranteed the right to cast a ballot. A map of all polling locations within East Lansing can be found here.

The State News has prepared a guide to the ballot that covers federal, state and local races that voters will be asked to weigh in on. Additionally, the guide contains information on ballot proposals for both East Lansing and Ingham County that will be on the ballot. 

Federal

President and Vice President of the United States

At the top of the ballot, people will cast their vote for the offices of president and vice president of the U.S. Their options will include Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, the Democrats, and Donald Trump and JD Vance, the Republicans. Also on the ballot will be third-party candidates such as the Libertarian Chase Oliver and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., representing the Natural Law party. 

Since replacing Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee in July, Harris has built much of her campaign around her "New Way Forward" plan she claims will create an "opportunity economy" for the middle class. Harris’ proposals include expanding various tax credit programs, establishing a minimum income tax on billionaires and providing first-time homebuyers with assistance on their down-payment.

Beyond economic policy, Harris has supported increasing Border Patrol presence at the U.S.-Mexico border, supported imposing term limits on Supreme Court justices and promised to sign a bill protecting access to abortion. 

Harris has been vague about her position on the Israel-Hamas war, suggesting that she will continue to provide military aid to Israel while promising to "not be silent" about human suffering in Gaza. 

After failing to be reelected in 2020, Trump has promised to deliver a second term similar to his first with an agenda focused on cutting taxes for all, increasing tariffs on foreign-made goods and increasing security at the U.S. southern border.

Trump has said his administration would carry out the "largest deportation program in American history," end birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants and lift restrictions on oil, natural gas and coal energy production.

Trump has repeatedly changed his stance on abortion; his campaign has recently said that he would not sign a nation-wide abortion ban and in recent weeks has described restrictive abortion bans as "too tough." In the spring, Trump privately told advisers that he was leaning toward supporting a 16-week national ban with exceptions, but was waiting for results from the Republican primaries.

U.S. Senator

After voting for president and vice president, people can then cast their vote for one of Michigan’s two seats in the U.S. Senate. Their options will include Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat currently representing Michigan’s 7th District in the U.S. House, and Mike Rogers, a Republican who represented Michigan’s 8th District from 2001 to 2015.

Slotkin and Rogers recently participated in a televised debate last Monday where they clashed on economic policy, particularly the manufacturing of electric vehicles in the state, as well as reproductive rights. 

Slotkin has repeatedly attacked Rogers for his record of opposing abortion rights while in the U.S. House, although Rogers has said he would respect the constitutional protections for abortion that were passed via ballot proposal in 2022. Conversely, Rogers criticized Slotkin for voting in-line with the Biden administration, arguing that her votes have contributed to inflation — which has come down recently after being high for much of the president’s administration.

U.S. Representative - District 7

Since Slotkin is campaigning to serve in the Senate, that leaves a vacancy in Michigan’s 7th district that Democrat Curtis Hertel and Republican Tom Barrett hope to fill.

Hertel, a former state senator, has built his campaign around bringing electric vehicle manufacturing to Michigan, said he’d support the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and has promised to protect abortion rights.

Barrett, who served in the state senate with Hertel, has built his platform around the "four pillars of security" he argues are critical to maintaining America’s place in the world. His proposals include lowering government spending and taxes, promising to "make our streets safe again" and increasing security at the southern border.

State

Michigan State University Trustee

Voters will be able to elect two of four candidates to serve on the Michigan State University Board of Trustees. Elected trustees will then go on to serve on the eight-member board for eight years.

As part of the board, trustees are responsible for making administrative decisions about the university, including electing the university’s president, appointing various administrators at the president’s recommendation and controlling the university’s funds.

This year, the candidates — two Democrats and two Republicans — include Rebecca Bahar-Cook, Thomas Stallworth, Mike Balow and Julie Maday. In October, The State News conducted interviews with all four major candidates and has compiled a voter guide viewable here. 

Michigan Supreme Court

There are two seats on the Michigan Supreme Court up for grabs this year. However, only one of those seats is for a complete eight-year term; the other seat will serve until 2029, the remainder of former Chief Justice Bridget McCormack’s term.

Although the election of the justices will be on the nonpartisan section of the ballot, both the Democratic and Republican party have nominated candidates for the full and partial term. 

The major party candidates for the Michigan Supreme Court are: Kimberly Ann Thomas (Democrat, full term), Andrew Fink (Republican, full term), Kyra Harris Bolden (Democrat, partial term) and Patrick William O’Grady (Republican partial term).

Michigan Representative - District 73, 74, 75 and 77

Every seat in the Michigan House of Representatives will be on the ballot for 2024. For people living on MSU’s campus, they’ll be voting for the representative of Michigan’s 73rd District.

The candidates for Michigan’s 73rd District (MSU campus, Okemos and Mason) are: Julie Brixie (Democrat) and Joshua Rockey (Republican).

The candidates for Michigan’s 74th District (Holt and southern Lansing) are: Kary Hope (Democrat) and Tom Izzo (Republican).

The candidates for Michigan’s 75th District (East Lansing, Meridian Twp. and Haslett) are: Penelope Tsernoglou (Democrat) and Frank Lambert (Republican).

The candidates for Michigan’s 77th District (Lansing) are: Emily Dievendorg (Democrat) and Cady Ness-Smith (Republican).

Michigan State Board of Education

Voters will be able to elect two candidates to serve on Michigan’s Board of Education. As the governing body of the Michigan Department of Education, the board is responsible for managing public K-12 education in the state. 

The candidates for State Board of Education are: Theodore Jones (Democrat), Adam Frederick Zemke (Democrat), Tom McMillin (Republican) and Nikki Snyder (Republican). 

University of Michigan Regent and Wayne State University Governor

This year, voters will also be able to vote for two members of the University of Michigan’s Board of Regents and Wayne State University’s Board of Governors. Since both institutions are public universities, their governing boards are publicly elected by the entire state of Michigan.

Local

People voting in Ingham County will be able to vote for a variety of local offices. Listed below is a brief description of each offices’ responsibilities and duties as well as who is running for those offices.

The County Clerk, currently Barb Byrum, is responsible for maintaining records of births, deaths and marriages within Ingham County. Additionally, the Clerk serves as the chief election official of the county, meaning they are responsible for administering national, state and local elections. The candidates for County Clerk are Democrat Barb Byrum and Republican Joseph Werner.

The Ingham County Sheriff, currently Scott Wriggelsworth, is responsible for maintaining custody of the County Jail, delivering legal documents to defendants and enforces the law in unincorporated areas of the county. The candidates for Sheriff are Democrat Scott Wriggelsworth and Republican Steve Fox.

The Ingham County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, currently headed by John DeWane, is responsible for prosecuting violations of felony and misdemeanor criminal laws committed inside of Ingham County. The candidates for Prosecuting Attorney are Democrat John DeWane and Republican Norm Shinkle.

The Drain Commissioner, currently Patrick Lindemann, is responsible for the construction and upkeep of public storm drains within Ingham County. The Drain Commissioner's Office is also in charge of controlling soil erosion and sedimentation through issuing permits. The candidates for Drain Commissioner are Democrat Patrick Lindemann and Republican Brian Beauchine.

The Register of Deeds, currently Derek Quinney, is in charge of recording and indexing documents related to real estate within Ingham County. These documents include mortgages, surveys and bills of sale. The candidates for Register of Deeds are Democrat Derek Quinney and Republican Karla Skoczylas.

The Treasurer’s Office, currently headed by Alan Fox, is responsible for collecting and distributing tax money collected from township and city treasurers. The Treasurer is also responsible for investing the county’s idle tax funds. The candidates for Ingham County Treasurer are Democrat Alan Fox and Republican Bruce Little.

Voters will also elect a County Commissioner to represent them on the 14-member Board of Commissioners. The board is the governing body of Ingham County and can create laws that apply within its borders.

People can also vote on candidates for the Lansing Community College Board of Trustees and the East Lansing Public Schools Board.

Ballot Proposals

This year, voters will be asked to vote on four ballot measures — two for the City of East Lansing and two for Ingham County.

People will first vote on an amendment to the East Lansing city charter that would bar the city from restricting "relationships of persons living together as a household or residing in home." The amendment would allow for non-renting guests to stay in an East Lansing home subject to a rental license longer than 30 days without incurring a fine. 

The second East Lansing ballot proposal is to renew a millage at 2.9895 mills (meaning $2.9895 per thousand dollars of taxable value) on real and personal property to fund public transportation services provided by the Capital Area Transportation Authority. The renewal would extend the millage until 2030.

For Ingham County, the first proposal is to increase a millage, which the county uses to expand housing availability to low- and moderate-income families and provide services for unhoused people, by 0.5000 of one mill.

The second county proposal is to increase the tax rate levied on "all persons engaged in the business of providing rooms for lodging purposes to guests staying less than 30 consecutive days." The proposal would raise the tax rate from 5% to 8% where it would remain indefinitely.