Michigan Compiled Laws

Mich. Comp. Laws § 168.737a (2026)

Write-in vote; declaration of intent; filing; death or disqualification of candidate; write-in candidate for precinct delegate; forms; information.

✓ current as of July 2026

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MICHIGAN ELECTION LAW

Act 116 of 1954

168.737a Write-in vote; declaration of intent; filing; death or disqualification of candidate; write-in candidate for precinct delegate; forms; information.

Sec. 737a.

(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the board of election inspectors shall not count a write-in vote for a person unless that person has filed a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate as provided in this section. The write-in candidate shall file the declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate with the filing official for that elective office on or before 4 p.m. on the second Friday immediately before the election. The secretary of state, immediately after the 4 p.m. filing deadline under this subsection, shall prepare and have delivered a list of all persons who have filed a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate under this subsection, if any, to the appropriate county clerks. A filing official other than the secretary of state who receives a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate or list of persons who filed a declaration of intent from another filing official under this subsection shall prepare and have delivered a list of all persons who have filed a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate to the board of election inspectors in the appropriate precincts before the close of the polls on election day.

(2) If a candidate whose name is printed on the official ballot for the election dies or is otherwise disqualified after 4 p.m. on the second Friday immediately before the election, the requirement of filing a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate under subsection (1) does not apply to a write-in candidate. If a death or disqualification has occurred as described in this subsection, the board of election inspectors shall count all write-in votes for write-in candidates for the office sought by the deceased or disqualified candidate.

(3) Subsections (1) and (2) do not apply to a write-in candidate for precinct delegate. The board of election inspectors shall not count a write-in vote for a write-in candidate for precinct delegate unless that candidate has filed a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate as provided in this subsection. A write-in candidate for precinct delegate shall file a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate with the county clerk of the county in which that precinct is located on or before 4 p.m. on the Friday immediately before the election or with the board of election inspectors in the appropriate precinct before the close of the polls on election day. A county clerk who receives a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate from a write-in candidate for precinct delegate under this subsection shall prepare and have delivered a list of all persons who have filed a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate to the city and township clerks for the appropriate precincts before election day. A city or township clerk shall deliver a list of all persons who have filed a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate for precinct delegate to the board of election inspectors in the appropriate precincts before the close of the polls on election day.

(4) The secretary of state shall prescribe forms for the declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate. Clerks shall maintain a supply of declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate forms in the clerk's office and make the forms available in the polling places during the August primary for this purpose. The declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate form must include all of the following information:

(a) The name of the person intending to be a write-in candidate.

(b) The elective office that the person seeks as a write-in candidate.

(d) Other information the secretary of state considers appropriate.

History: Add. 1996, Act 461, Eff. Mar. 31, 1997 ;-- Am. 2006, Act 87, Eff. Mar. 30, 2007 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 276, Eff. Aug. 16, 2012 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 611, Eff. Mar. 29, 2019

PopularName Notes:

Election Code

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 4 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 2007–2025 · leading case: Barrow v. City of Detroit Election Comm'n, 305 Mich. App. 649 (Mich. Ct. App. 2014).

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Barrow v. City of Detroit Election Comm'n, 305 Mich. App. 649 (Mich. Ct. App. 2014). · cites it 5× “MCL 168.737a establishes the requirements for a write-in candidate, the court ruled.”

Barrow v. City of Detroit Election Comm'n, 836 N.W.2d 498 (Mich. Ct. App. 2013). · cites it 2× “In this instance, the former need not give way to the latter where Duggan asserts that he may be a write-in candidate under state law, citing MCL 168.737a, 16 and there is no constitutional right to vote for an individual who did not meet the eligibility requirements to have…”

In Re Request for Advisory Opinion Regarding Constitutionality of 2005 Pa 71, 740 N.W.2d 444 (Mich. 2007). · cites it 2× “Moreover, the voter may not have his write-in vote counted unless the candidate has filed a declaration of intent under MCL 168.737a. Michigan's various election requirements invariably impose some burden on the voter.”

20251103_C377920_24_377920.Opn.Pdf (Mich. Ct. App. 2025). · cites it 11× “King asserted that, to the “extent any section of the City Charter conflicts with MCL 168.737a, the [Charter] section is void.”

— Mich. Comp. Laws § 168.737a(1) — 1 case

20251103_C377920_24_377920.Opn.Pdf (Mich. Ct. App. 2025). “King asserted that, to the “extent any section of the City Charter conflicts with MCL 168.737a, the [Charter] section is void.”

— Mich. Comp. Laws § 168.737a(4) — 1 case

20251103_C377920_24_377920.Opn.Pdf (Mich. Ct. App. 2025). “King asserted that, to the “extent any section of the City Charter conflicts with MCL 168.737a, the [Charter] section is void.”

— Mich. Comp. Laws § 168.737a(l) — 2 cases

Barrow v. City of Detroit Election Comm'n, 305 Mich. App. 649 (Mich. Ct. App. 2014). “MCL 168.737a establishes the requirements for a write-in candidate, the court ruled.”

Barrow v. City of Detroit Election Comm'n, 836 N.W.2d 498 (Mich. Ct. App. 2013). “In this instance, the former need not give way to the latter where Duggan asserts that he may be a write-in candidate under state law, citing MCL 168.737a, 16 and there is no constitutional right to vote for an individual who did not meet the eligibility requirements to have…”

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