How the state, county, and city general elections work — who's on the ballot, how ranked preference voting decides multi-seat races, and what happens when there's a tie or a vacancy.
Every general election in Michigan — state, county, and city — runs on the same calendar.
Four races fill more than one seat at once. For those, instead of picking a single candidate, you rank as many as you'd like, up to the number of open seats.
Your top choice gets the highest number of points for that race, your second choice the next-highest, and so on. Points are awarded per ballot and added up across every voter — the winners are whoever earns the highest total preference score, not whoever gets the most first-choice votes.
You don't have to rank every open seat. But the point values themselves don't change based on how many candidates you rank — if you only rank your top choice, that candidate still receives the full top point value from your ballot.
| Race | Seats | You may rank up to | Points (1st → last) | Top scorer becomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislature | 12 | 12 candidates | 12, 11, 10 … 1 | Speaker of the Legislature |
| Judiciary | 7 | 7 candidates | 7, 6, 5 … 1 | Chief Justice |
| Board of Commissioners | 5 | 5 candidates | 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 | Chairperson |
| City Council | 3 | 3 candidates | 3, 2, 1 | President of the Council |
Most ties are settled by voters in a runoff. A handful of specific ties are settled by the state's newly elected leadership instead.
If a race ends in a tie, a runoff election is held to settle it. Online voting for a runoff opens January 1 and closes January 10; in-person Election Day for the runoff is January 5.
A tie for the top preference score in the Legislature, Judiciary, Board of Commissioners, or City Council race isn't sent to a runoff — because that tie determines who becomes Speaker of the Legislature, Chief Justice, Chairperson, or President of the Council. Those specific ties are broken by the newly elected Governor, except for a City Council President tie, which is broken by the newly elected Mayor.
General elections happen on a fixed yearly cycle — but seats sometimes come open in between.
When a seat becomes vacant outside the regular election cycle, a special election is held to fill the remainder of the term. It follows the same basic structure as a general election — a period of online voting followed by an in-person Election Day — on a timeline set by the Secretary of State for state offices, or by the County Clerk for county and city offices.
The one exception is the Governor's office: if it becomes vacant, the Lieutenant Governor succeeds to the office directly, without a special election.
Held on the calendar above. Four things appear on the state ballot.
Elected jointly as a single ticket — one vote decides both offices together.
Elected by ranked preference voting — rank up to 12 candidates, with each ballot's top choice worth 12 points down to 1. The candidate with the highest total preference score becomes Speaker of the Legislature; the other 11 winners serve as members.
Tie for Speaker → broken by the newly elected Governor1 Chief Justice and 6 Associate Justices, elected by ranked preference voting — rank up to 7 candidates, with each ballot's top choice worth 7 points down to 1. The candidate with the highest total preference score becomes Chief Justice; the other 6 winners serve as Associate Justices.
Tie for Chief Justice → broken by the newly elected GovernorStatewide ballot questions and issues are also put directly to voters. Unless a specific question says otherwise, it's decided by a simple majority — though some questions require a two-thirds supermajority to pass.
Genesee County's ballot fills the Board of Commissioners and four countywide offices.
Elected by ranked preference voting — rank up to 5 candidates, with each ballot's top choice worth 5 points down to 1. The candidate with the highest total preference score becomes Chairperson of the Board; the other 4 winners serve as members.
Tie for Chairperson → broken by the newly elected GovernorMaintains the county's official records, including property records and District Court records, and administers elections at the county level and for every municipality within the county. The Clerk also serves as Clerk of the Court for the County District Court — Genesee County's only trial-level court.
The county's chief financial officer, responsible for collecting property taxes and managing county funds.
The county's elected chief law enforcement officer, overseeing the Sheriff's Office.
The county's chief criminal law enforcement attorney, responsible for charging and prosecuting criminal cases within the county.
Same rules as the state election: a tie in any of these races goes to a runoff, except a tie for Chairperson of the Board of Commissioners, which the newly elected Governor breaks. A vacancy in any of these offices is filled by a special election on the same two-part structure described above.
Flint's ballot fills the Mayor's office and the City Council.
Flint's elected chief executive.
Elected by ranked preference voting — rank up to 3 candidates, with each ballot's top choice worth 3 points, second 2, and third 1. The candidate with the highest total preference score becomes President of the Council; the other 2 winners serve as members.
Tie for President → broken by the newly elected MayorSame rules as the state and county elections: a tie for Mayor or for a non-President Council seat goes to a runoff. A vacancy in either office is filled by a special election on the same two-part structure described above.