If You Vote Early in Michigan, Then Die Before Election Day, Does Your Vote Still Count?

It's a morbid thought, but it's also a reality for many voters in the United States... if I were to vote early, online, or use mail-in ballots, and I die before election day, does my vote still count?

With the way people are disputing vote counts, and legitimacy lately, it's important to know how every vote in the country stands, and sadly, this is a reality that some might have to consider.

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So what is the answer here? Interestingly enough, it varies by state. There is no federal law that specifically says your vote does, or does not count if you die after voting early.

According to Wendy Underhill, who is the Director of Elections and Redistricting for the National Conference of State Legislatures, the answers are drastically different.

"They can choose to accept them. They can choose to reject them. Or, states can be silent on this question."

So with that in mind, where does Michigan, and some of our neighboring states land on the issue?

Michigan Laws

Here, those votes are just not counted. The Department of State and Secretary of State specifically say, "Ballots of voters who have died are rejected in Michigan, even if the voter cast an absentee ballot and then died before election day. Those who make claims otherwise are wrong, and the lists circulating claiming to show this is happening are not accurate."

This was part of a release distributed by the Secretary of State amidst recent voter fraud allegations in our most recent elections. The statement does acknowledge, however, that some clerical mistakes can be made, and if you would like to appeal a decision on whether a vote counts in this scenario, you can do so... but they're so few, it's likely to not make a huge difference.

Other State Laws

As for our surrounding neighbors, in Ohio, those votes will actually count as long as the person was alive when the ballot was cast and it was properly done so. That's confirmed by their Secretary of State's office.

For Indiana, it's a little more complicated. The short answer is, "it's not supposed to," but if it slips through the system, then nobody seems to make a big deal out of it. This is another case where if you suspect someone has died after casting an absentee ballot, then you can report it to the secretary of State's office, and they can look, into it. But similarly to Michigan, the number of people this would affect is so small, it won't likely make a difference.

The topic is a hot one right now, because former President Jimmy Carter has stated that he wants to live long enough to cast his ballot for Kamala Harris as President of the United States of America. Carter, who just turned 100 years old, is in frail condition, though, and has been in hospice care for more than two years.

But thankfully for him, if we do unfortunately lose him before election day, but AFTER he's able to cast his early ballot, Georgia law will allow his vote to count.

November is shaping up to have a crazy start to it.