All voters have the right to vote free of intimidation, including from law enforcement, military, and federal agents.
It is illegal for anyone to try to or actually intimidate, threaten, or coerce someone who is voting or trying to vote, or someone who is helping a person to vote. By law, members of the military, state and local law enforcement, and federal agents, including ICE, may not intimidate or prevent a qualified voter from voting through force, threat, or other action. It doesn’t matter if the intimidation was deliberate, as long as the voter, or the voter’s helper, felt intimidated.
Beyond the federal laws against intimidation, it is also illegal for any person in the U.S. civil, military, or naval service to order troops or armed federal agents to any place where an election is held. By law, officers of the U.S. military may not interfere with the freedom of any election or the exercise of the right to vote in any state.
All voters have the right not to be discriminated against based on race, national origin, or disability.
All voters who need assistance because of a disability or inability to read and write in the language of the ballot may choose someone to help them to vote, as long as the person is not an agent/representative of the voter’s employer or union.
If you have questions or need assistance on-site, the best person to speak to is a local election worker. Poll workers are members of your community, and work for the municipal or county government rather than the federal government.
If you observe violations of these rules, call 866-OUR-VOTE, the Election Protection Hotline! You can even report anonymously. If you are voting in person, and you feel comfortable doing so, you can quietly report your concerns to an on-site poll worker. Do not approach, speak to, or engage a law enforcement officer.
You can be challenged as to the following four things:
An election inspector or other qualified challenger may also challenge you if they believe you have applied for an absentee ballot and may have lost or destroyed the absentee ballot before attempting to vote in person.
An election challenger, election inspector, or a voter who is registered in your precinct can challenge your right to vote. A poll watcher who is not a lawfully appointed challenger from a political party or organization CANNOT challenge a voter.
A challenger must make their challenge to the challenger liaison.
A challenger MUST explain why they believe you should be challenged based on one of the four reasons above.
A poll worker will ask you for your name, current residential address, and day and month of your birth. They will also ask you to show acceptable ID. If an election inspector has doubts about your ID, they CAN ask for an explanation of why your photo does not match your appearance, or to see another photo ID. An election inspector CANNOT question your ID if your address on your ID does not match the address on your voter registration.
If you are unable to show photo ID, you may vote a regular ballot after signing an affidavit attesting to your identity.
You can speak to the election inspector or precinct chairperson, or your city or township clerk. If that does not resolve the issue, call Election Protection.
No, poll watchers may not take photographs or videos. This may be considered voter intimidation.
Michigan polling places have a “public area” and a “voting area.” Poll watchers and media representatives must stay in the “public area” of the polling place.
Children under 18 can accompany voters into the voting area.
City or township clerks have the power to prevent election inspectors from reporting to political parties.
Talk to the precinct inspectors. If this does not resolve the issue, call Election Protection.
Challengers CANNOT speak to voters.
Voters are entitled to assistance. If a voter has a disability that requires assistance to vote, the voter may bring a person of their choice to help them vote. The person providing assistance may not be the voter’s union representative or employer. A voter also has the right to designate a member of their household or immediate family to return their absentee ballot for them.
Any voter has the right to ask the precinct board for voting assistance. You do not need to provide a reason for needing assistance, and one precinct inspector from each of the two major political parties must assist you.
Fair Elections Center and its Campus Vote Project intend the information contained herein to be used only as a general guide. This document should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed Michigan legal professional. Updated August 2026.