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INST RUC TIO NS P RO VIDED BY THE MIC HIGA N B UREA U OF E LEC TIO NS RICHA RD H . A US TIN B UILD ING ● 1S T FLO OR ● 4 30 W. A LLEG A N ● LA NSI NG, MIC HIGA N 4 893 3 (8 00 ) 2 92 -5 97 3 FDC-FC-MAN-3 (Rev. 1.23.2026) Petition Manual: Candidates Without Political Party Affiliation February 2026 ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections I. Introduction 1 II. Filing requirements 2 Signatures 2 Designated filing official 3 Petition challenge process 3 Filing deadlines 3 Lieutenant Governor candidates 3 Withdrawal 3 Appearance on the ballot 4 III. Qualifying petition format requirements 5 Certificate of circulator 5 Warning to circulator 6 Instructions to circulator and space for circulator’s signature and residential address 6 Identification of candidate committee 7 Type size and font 7 Sheet size 7 Warning to petition signers 8 IV. Completing countywide qualifying petitions 9 Form use 9 Petition heading 9 Signature lines on petition 9 Circulator block 10 V. Board of State Canvassers petition review 11 Statewide qualifying 11 Requesting copies of the petition 11 Submitting the challenge 11 Challenge procedure 12 VI. Board of State Canvassers petition review 13 Requesting copies of the petition 13 Submitting the challenge 13 ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections Challenge procedure 14 VII. Procedure for evaluating petitions 15 Petition sheet validity 15 Defects in the petition heading which render an entire sheet invalid 15 Defects in the certificate of circulator which render an entire sheet invalid . 15 Other fatal defects that render an entire petition sheet invalid 16 Acceptable sheet 16 Validity of individual signatures 17 Acceptable signature entries 17 Jurisdiction name variations 18 Signature verification 18 Appendix A: Election dates and filing deadlines 20 Candidates with no party affiliation filing table 20 Appendix B: Offices that file with the county clerk 21 Appendix C: Petition signature requirements 22 Appendix D: Signature Verification Examples 23 Appendix E: Circulator best practices 24 Circulators 24 Crossing county lines 25 Quality control 25 Facilitating efficient review 25 Appendix F: Jurisdiction name variations 27 Appendix G: Signature coding 28 Appendix H: Petition size requirements 30 Appendix I: Invalid sheet examples 31 ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 1 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections I. Introduction This manual outlines legal requirements and provides guidance to candidates without political party affiliation seeking certain offices. These candidates are often referred to as candidates with “no party affiliation” (NPA). New filing deadlines and requirements are now in effect and may be found in Appendix A. This manual also highlights best practices which, although not legally required, will minimize the risk that an error could disqualify the petition. Candidate ballot access is governed by Michigan Election Law and overseen by the Secretary of State and Board of State Canvassers. Once a petition is filed with the Secretary of State, signatures are subjected to a verification process and the Board of State Canvassers determines whether the petition contains enough valid signatures to qualify for placement on the ballot. If you have any questions regarding this publication, contact the Michigan Department of State, Bureau of Elections, at (800) 292-5973 or File- [EMAIL REDACTED], or visit our website Michigan.gov/Elections. Correspondence may be mailed, hand delivered or sent via overnight delivery to the Richard H. Austin Building – 1st Floor, 430 West Allegan Street, Lansing, Michigan 48933. Note: Candidates for office are subject to the registration and reporting requirements of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act. For questions regarding these obligations, email [EMAIL REDACTED]. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 2 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections II. Filing requirements Signatures The Signature Requirement table lists the number of signatures of qualified and registered electors needed for qualifying petitions. For more information refer to MCL 168.544f. Governor 12,000 - 60,0001 Lieutenant Governor N/A Secretary of State 12,000 - 60,0001 Attorney General 12,000 - 60,0001 U.S. Senator 12,000 - 60,0001 U.S. Representative in Congress 3,000 - 6,000 State Senator 1,500 - 3,000 State Representative 600 - 1,200 State Board of Education, UM Regent, MSU Trustee, WSU Governor 12,000 - 60,0001 Supreme Court Justice 12,000 - 60,0001 Best practice: Petition sponsors are strongly encouraged to gather and submit a significant number of signatures in excess of the minimum number required, due to the likelihood that some petition signer entries or whole petition sheets may be found invalid during the verification process. 1 In Graveline v Benson, 430 FSupp 3d 297 (ED Mich 2019), the minimum number of signatures required for non-affiliated candidates seeking statewide office was reduced from 30,000 to 12,000. The maximum number remains 60,000 as specified in MCL 168.544f. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 3 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections Designated filing official For the statewide offices and any congressional or state legislative districts that include voters from two or more counties, the Affidavit of Identity and qualifying petitions must be filed with the Secretary of State. Petitions filed by no party affiliation candidates seeking statewide office or election to a district office overlapping multiple counties are canvassed under the authority of the Board of State Canvassers (Board). If a congressional or state legislative district is wholly contained within a single county, the Affidavit of Identity and Qualifying Petitions must be filed with the county clerk. Petitions are canvassed by the county clerk. Candidates filing for local offices such as township supervisor or trustee should file at the local clerk’s office. Petition challenge process A sworn complaint or “challenge” claiming a candidate filed an insufficient number of valid signatures or alleging that a nominating petition suffers from a fatal defect may be submitted to the Board or county clerk (as applicable) within 7 days of the filing deadline. The Board or clerk is responsible for resolving any challenges and certifying qualified candidates to the ballot. Filing deadlines Review Appendix A: Election dates and filing deadlines for the current election year. Lieutenant Governor candidates Gubernatorial candidates without party affiliation who qualify for the ballot must designate their lieutenant governor running mate by filing a written statement with the Secretary of State not later than 66 days before the general November election (MCL 168.590d). Withdrawal Candidates are permitted to withdraw until 4 p.m. on the third day after the filing deadline expires by filing a written statement with the appropriate filing official. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 4 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections Appearance on the ballot The names of qualified candidates without party affiliation will appear on the general election ballot. Note that for ballot printing purposes, NPA candidates are not listed as “independent” but instead are identified as not being affiliated with a political party. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 5 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections III. Qualifying petition format requirements Candidates who are not affiliated with a political party must collect signatures to qualify for placement on the general election ballot using the Qualifying Petition form. Two versions of the form are available: A countywide form, which must be circulated within a single county, and a city/township form, which can only be circulated within a single city or township. Best practice: Candidates are strongly encouraged to use the countywide form when filing for state-level offices. The heading of the petition must include the name of the county where the petition sheet will be circulated, the candidate’s name, candidate’s street address/rural route and city or township, the name of the office sought including the district number if applicable, and the date of the election. Failure to complete fields renders the entire sheet invalid. The term expiration date is only required if there are multiple positions available with different term ending dates. A candidate filing a qualifying petition without party affiliation for the office of President, Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, U.S. Senator, State Board of Education, University of Michigan Regent, Michigan State University Trustee, Wayne State University Governor, or Supreme Court Justice is required to collect a minimum of 100 signatures in each of at least seven of Michigan’s congressional districts. Certificate of circulator “CERTIFICATE OF CIRCULATOR” shall be printed in 12-point bold face type in the lower left-hand corner of the petition sheet with the remainder of the language in 8-point type. MCL 168.544c(1). See below. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 6 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections CERTIFICATE OF CIRCULATOR The undersigned circulator of the above petition asserts that he or she is 18 years of age or older and a United States citizen; that each signature on the petition was signed in his or her presence; that he or she has neither caused nor permitted a person to sign the petition more than once and has no knowledge of a person signing the petition more than once; and that, to his or her best knowledge and belief, each signature is the genuine signature of the person purporting to sign the petition, the person signing the petition was at the time of signing a registered elector of the city or township indicated following the signature, and the elector was qualified to sign the petition. If the circulator is not a resident of Michigan, the circulator shall make a cross or check mark in the box provided, otherwise each signature on this petition sheet is invalid and the signatures will not be counted by a filing official. By making a cross or check mark in the box provided, the undersigned circulator asserts that he or she is not a resident of Michigan and agrees to accept the jurisdiction of this state for the purpose of any legal proceeding or hearing that concerns a petition sheet executed by the circulator and agrees that legal process served on the Secretary of State or a designated agent of the Secretary of State has the same effect as if personally served on the circulator. Best practice: It is recommended that the check box be printed in boldface type to minimize the likelihood that an out-of-state circulator may inadvertently fail to make the selection. Warning to circulator A warning to the circulators of the petition must be printed in 12-point boldface type as specified below. MCL 168.544c(1). The warning must be placed in the lower left-hand corner of the sheet immediately beneath the circulator’s statement. WARNING–A circulator knowingly making a false statement in the above certificate, a person not a circulator who signs as a circulator, or a person who signs a name other than his or her own as circulator is guilty of a misdemeanor. Instructions to circulator and space for circulator’s signature and residential address In the lower right-hand corner of the petition sheet, the following circulator instruction must be printed in 12-point boldface type: CIRCULATOR–Do not sign or date certificate until after circulating petition. MCL 168.544c(1)-(2). Immediately beneath this instruction, the entry space for the petition circulator must be presented in 8-point type as shown below: ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 7 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections Identification of candidate committee The petition sheet should include, in 8-point type, the name and address of the candidate committee paying for the printing of the petition form, preceded by the words: “Paid for by the committee to elect MCL 169.247. Type size and font The statutes that govern the form of the petition mandate the use of specific type sizes. The font size indicated in some software programs does not always measure the same type size. Petition sponsors and printers must exercise caution to ensure that the printed type measures the type size required by law. Best practice: Candidate sponsors are strongly encouraged to utilize a sans serif font for readability purposes. Examples of such fonts are provided below. Arial (14-point type) Microsoft Sans Serif (14-point type) Tahoma (14-point type) Verdana (14-point type) Sheet size The size of the petition sheet must be 8½ by 14 inches. MCL 168.544c. The petition format must be arranged horizontally in landscape layout) on the sheet. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 8 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections Warning to petition signers A warning to the signers of the petition must be printed in 12-point boldface type, immediately above the signature lines. MCL 168.544c; MCL 168.590h. WARNING – A PERSON WHO KNOWINGLY SIGNS MORE PETITIONS FOR THE SAME OFFICE THAN THERE ARE PERSONS TO BE ELECTED TO THE OFFICE OR SIGNS A NAME OTHER THAN HIS OR HER OWN IS VIOLATING THE PROVISIONS OF THE MICHIGAN ELECTION LAW. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 9 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections IV. Completing countywide qualifying petitions Form use This form may be used by any candidate without political party affiliation who seeks a partisan office, except for candidates seeking the office of county commissioner. Candidates must use the proper petition form; failure to do so will result in the candidate’s disqualification. All mandatory elements on the petition sheet must be visible and undamaged otherwise the petition sheet will be rejected. Petition heading County name: A petition sheet must include the name of the county where it was circulated; each sheet must list only a single county. (Example: Wayne) Candidate name: Candidate’s first and last name. (Example: John A. Doe or Jane Doe). Candidate address: Residence address. (Example: 1234 Main Street) City or township: City OR township must be listed. Title of office, term expiration date & district: The office sought, and the district served by the office (if any). (Example: State Representative, 5th). The term expiration date is only required if there are multiple positions available with different term ending dates. Date of general election: The day, month, and year of the upcoming general election should be listed. (Example: 3rd day of November 2026. The November regular election date, which is the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.) Signature lines on petition Signer’s signature: Signature should match that in the QVF. An individual signature entry is invalid if the QVF indicates that on the date of signing, the signer was: 1. Not registered to vote in Michigan, or 2. Registered to vote in this state but not in the city or township indicated, or 3. Registered to vote in the city or township indicated but that jurisdiction is not within the county listed in the heading of the petition sheet. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 10 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections Signer’s name: Signer should clearly write their first and last name. Street address or rural route: Signer must include the house number and name of their street. A post office box in lieu of residence address is not acceptable. City or township: Signer must write the name of the city or township in which their residence is located. Do not write both the county and the city/township. ZIP code: Signer should write the 5-digit ZIP code associated with their residential address. Date: Signer must write the day, month, and year that they signed the circulated petition sheet. *Note: Per MCL 168.590b(3), all signatures on a qualifying petition shall be obtained not more than 180 days before the date of filing. Circulator block A circulator section is valid if it includes the circulator’s signature; the date on which the circulator signed the petition; the circulator’s complete residence address (street address or rural route number, city or township and state; a P.O. Box is invalid); and for a circulator who is not a Michigan resident, the name of the county where the circulator is registered to vote (if applicable) and the circulator’s mark (cross or check mark) in the nonresident box in the Certificate of Circulator Note that the circulator must sign the circulator certificate on or after the date of circulating the petition to gather signatures. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 11 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections V. Board of State Canvassers petition review Statewide qualifying petitions Qualifying petitions must be timely filed with the filing official designated by law to accept filings for the elective office sought. Petitions are canvassed by the designated filing official or, in the case of many federal, state and judicial offices, under the authority of the Board of State Canvassers. Requesting copies of the petition Copies of a petition may be requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), MCL 15.231 et seq. In 2023, the BSC approved an electronic scanning and numbering plan that makes the sampling process more efficient and facilitates the fulfillment of FOIA requests quickly and at lower expense for the requestor. A request should be submitted through the Department’s FOIA portal at Payment can be made through the portal. Petitions requested will be provided through the portal or via thumb drive. Submitting the challenge Under the current practice of the Board of State Canvassers, challenges are due 7 business days after the release of the sample for sampled statewide races. Rebuttals are due as soon as possible after challenges are received. To be considered at a board meeting, the Board must receive material at least 48 hours before the meeting. A sworn complaint (challenge) alleging that the nominating or qualifying petition contains an insufficient number of valid signatures or is otherwise defective may be submitted to the appropriate filing official within 7 days of the filing deadline. Challenges are resolved by the filing official or in the case of many federal, state and judicial offices, are decided by the Board of State Canvassers. Signature challenges must be presented in a notarized document and submitted to the Bureau of Elections. It is strongly encouraged that challenges be submitted by sending a scanned notarized document by email to [EMAIL REDACTED]. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 12 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections The challenge must be received no later than 5 p.m. on the date of the deadline, irrespective of postmark. Therefore, the Bureau strongly recommends that challenges submitted close to the deadline be submitted by email or overnight or hand delivery rather than mail. Challenge procedure The challenge must specify each signature being challenged and the reason why the validity of the signature is being questioned. To specify a signature, indicate the sheet number (stamped or written on each sheet) and the line number bearing the signature. To expedite processing, the Bureau of Elections asks that challenges be organized in sheet number order as opposed to an alphabetical listing of the signers’ names or any other organizational format and be contained in an excel or csv file. Best Practice: The challenge submission should contain rows and columns that refer to the codes used by the Board of State Canvassers, contained in Appendix D, as well as a column to track the total number of signatures challenged. The submission should be submitted as an excel spreadsheet to facilitate review. For example: # of Signatures challenged Sheet Number Line Number Challenge Reason Explanation 1 1 4 NR Voter not registered 2 56 9 IA Invalid address listed 3 72 1 Date Voter signed with date of birth To challenge anything other than specific signatures, a full written description of what is being challenged must be submitted. A challenge must specify the sheet numbers appearing on the petition sheets involved. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 13 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections VI. Board of State Canvassers petition review Nominating petitions must be timely filed with the filing official designated by law to accept filings for the elective office sought. Petitions are canvassed by the designated filing official or, in the case of many federal, state and judicial offices, under the authority of the Board of State Canvassers. Requesting copies of the petition Copies of a petition may be requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), MCL 15.231 et seq. In 2023, the BSC approved an electronic scanning and numbering plan that makes the sampling process more efficient and facilitates the fulfillment of FOIA requests quickly and at lower expense for the requestor. A request should be submitted through the Department’s FOIA portal at Payment can be made through the portal. Petitions requested will be provided through the portal or via thumb drive. Submitting the challenge Under the current practice of the Board of State Canvassers, challenges are due 7 days after the release of the sample. Rebuttals are due as soon as possible after challenges are received. To be considered at a board meeting, the Board must receive material at least 48 hours before the meeting. A sworn complaint (challenge) alleging that the nominating or qualifying petition contains an insufficient number of valid signatures or is otherwise defective may be submitted to the appropriate filing official within 7 days of the filing deadline. Challenges are resolved by the filing official or in the case of many federal, state and judicial offices, are decided by the Board of State Canvassers. Signature challenges must be presented in a notarized document and submitted to the Bureau of Elections. It is strongly encouraged that challenges be submitted by sending a scanned notarized document by email to [EMAIL REDACTED]. The challenge must be received no later than 5 p.m. on the date of the deadline, irrespective of postmark. Therefore, the Bureau strongly ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 14 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections recommends that challenges submitted close to the deadline be submitted by email or overnight or hand delivery rather than mail. Best Practice: Challengers should serve a copy of any challenge upon the party being challenged at the same time the challenge is submitted to the Board of State Canvassers. Challenge procedure The challenge must specify each signature being challenged and the reason why the validity of the signature is being questioned. To specify a signature, indicate the sheet number (stamped or written on each sheet) and the line number bearing the signature. To expedite processing, the Bureau of Elections asks that challenges be organized in sheet number order as opposed to an alphabetical listing of the signers’ names or any other organizational format and be contained in an excel or csv file. Best Practice: The challenge submission should contain rows and columns that refer to the codes used by the Board of State Canvassers, contained in Appendix D, as well as a column to track the total number of signatures challenged. The submission should be submitted as an excel spreadsheet to facilitate review. For example: # of Signatures challenged Sheet Number Line Number Challenge Reason Explanation 1 1 4 NR Voter not registered 2 56 9 IA Invalid address listed 3 72 1 Date Voter signed with date of birth To challenge anything other than specific signatures, a full written description of what is being challenged must be submitted. A challenge must specify the sheet numbers appearing on the petition sheets involved. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 15 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections VII. Procedure for evaluating petitions Petition sheet validity Imperfections in the petition sheet heading, certificate of circulator, or body of the petition sheet may jeopardize the validity of signatures appearing on the sheet. Defects in the petition heading which render an entire sheet invalid A petition sheet is invalid if it contains one or more of the following defects in the heading: • The county of circulation is omitted. • Two or more counties or a county not located in Michigan are listed. • Required information concerning candidate or office sought omitted, including the candidate’s name, residence address, party affiliation or indication of no party affiliation, the office sought, and the district served by the office (if any). Defects in the certificate of circulator which render an entire sheet invalid A petition sheet is invalid if it contains one or more of the following defects in the circulator’s certificate: • The petition sheet is not signed by the circulator or is signed by more than one circulator. • The circulator’s date of signing is omitted, incomplete or earlier than the date entered by every petition signer. Note: The petition sheet is invalid if the circulator merely prints his or her name and fails to sign the petition. • The circulator’s residence address is omitted, incomplete or includes a P.O. Box in place of a street address or rural route. • Attention nonresident petition circulators: A petition sheet is invalid if the circulator is not a Michigan resident and fails to mark the nonresident box in the certificate of circulator. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 16 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections Note: The circulator’s failure to include the correct ZIP code, by itself, is not a fatal defect. Other fatal defects that render an entire petition sheet invalid • Damaged, mutilated, or torn petition sheets where any of the mandatory elements (heading, warning statements, circulator certificate, signer entries) are illegible or omitted. • Sheets where any of the mandatory elements (heading, warning statements, circulator certificate, signer entries) are obscured or covered by white-out, permanent marker, stickers, or other opaque material. Acceptable sheet variations The following variations will not cause an entire petition sheet to be rejected: • For all offices except certain judicial offices, the failure to include the “Term Expiration Date” does not render a petition sheet invalid if the filing official can ascertain which position the candidate is seeking. For example, if a candidate is seeking nomination or election to the office of county clerk, the candidate is not required to include the “Term Expiration Date” because there is only one position to be elected. If there are multiple positions available with different term ending dates, the candidate should include the “Term Expiration Date.” • The circulator’s signature is illegible. • The circulator prints their name in space provided for the signature and signs in the space for printed name. • The circulator omits their printed name. • The circulator enters their cursive signature in space provided for printed name. • The circulator omits their ZIP code or enters an incorrect zip code. • An out-of-state circulator omits the county of registration. • The circulator is a resident of Michigan and inadvertently checks the out-of-state circulator checkbox and/or writes the name of the Michigan county where they are registered to vote. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 17 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections Validity of individual signatures A signature entry is valid if the voter signs the petition and prints his or her street address or rural route, city or township where registered to vote, and date of signing. (The signer’s omission of his or her printed name or ZIP code is an acceptable variation.) Filing officials use the code (registered) for valid entries. A signature is invalid if it contains one or more of the defects or omissions. The codes used to mark defects and omissions on petition sheets are shown in Appendix H. Acceptable signature entries The following variations are acceptable and will not result in the rejection of an individual signature: • The signature includes one or more of the signer’s initials plus his or her last name. Acceptable entries include but are not limited to: J. Smith; J.B. Smith; Mrs. J. Jones; A. John Doe. • The signature is illegible.2 All of the following variations are acceptable: The signer prints his or her name in space provided for the signature and signs in the space for printed name; signer omits his or her printed name; signer enters his or her cursive signature in space provided for printed name. Note: A signature is invalid if the signer merely prints his or her name in the space provided for printed name yet fails to sign the petition, and the signature on file is a cursive signature. • The signer is unable to sign his or her name and uses a signature stamp (instead of a pen-and-ink signature). • The signer enters ditto marks in the space(s) provided for address, city or township, ZIP code or date of signing. • On the date of signing, the signer was registered to vote in the city or township indicated but at a different street address within the same city or township. 2 Note, however, that if all of the personally identifiable information in the petition entry is illegible and cannot be validated (signature, printed name, address, city or township), the signature may be coded as invalid. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 18 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections • The signer writes the community name appearing in his or her “postal address” 4 in the space for city or township of registration. The signer omits his or her ZIP code or enters an incorrect ZIP code. • The signer writes the name of a village or unincorporated place in the space for city or township of registration. Example 1: Individuals who are registered to vote in Genesee Township, Richfield Township, and Vienna Township have a Mt. Morris postal address. When signing a countywide petition, these voters may write the name of the township where they are registered to vote or Mt. Morris in the “City or Township” column of the petition sheet, and either entry is valid. Example 2: Parts of Texas Township are served by the Kalamazoo post office (ZIP code 49001) while other parts of the township are served by the Mattawan post office (ZIP code 49071). If a Texas Township registrant writes “Kalamazoo” in the city or township column but his or her postal address is Mattawan, the entry is invalid. Example 3: A signature is valid if the signer provides the name of an unincorporated place in the place for city or township of registration, and the signer is registered to vote in the township containing that unincorporated place. Examples of unincorporated places include but are not limited to: Hemlock (Saginaw County), Kincheloe (Chippewa County), Lambertville (Monroe County), Okemos (Ingham County), Union Lake (Oakland County), and Walloon Lake (Charlevoix County). Jurisdiction name variations Abbreviations for jurisdiction names are acceptable if the abbreviation reasonably corresponds to the name of the appropriate city, township, local post office, unincorporated place, or village. Examples of commonly used abbreviations are listed in Appendix G. Signature verification Circulators should encourage voters to sign petitions in a way that reasonably resembles the signature given for driver’s license/state ID or voter registration purposes, but it is not necessary for the voter’s signature to perfectly match the signature on file. Filing officials must perform their signature verification duties beginning with the presumption that a voter’s ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 19 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections petition signature is his or her genuine signature, as there are numerous legitimate reasons that may explain an apparent mismatch: • Petition signatures are often written on a clipboard, which may cause the signature to appear more slanted or less precise than the signature on file, or cause breaks or pauses in a cursive signature. • Petition signatures (or voter registration or pin-pad signatures collected during the driver’s license/state ID application process) could have been written in haste. • A medical condition or advancing age may cause the signature to be different. • The electronic signature on file may be smaller or larger than the signature given on a petition sheet. • The signature may have been written using a pen with a finer tip or one with fading ink as compared to the signature on file. None of these differences will result in the invalidation of the petition signature. If there are redeeming qualities in the petition signature as compared to the signature on file, the filing official should treat the signature as valid. Redeeming qualities may include but are not limited to similar distinctive flourishes, more matching features than nonmatching features, and Examples 1-5. A voter’s signature should be considered questionable only if it differs in significant and obvious respects from the signature on file; see Examples 6- 7. Slight dissimilarities should be resolved in favor of the voter whenever possible. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 20 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections Appendix A: Election dates and filing deadlines Candidates with no party affiliation filing table 3 In Graveline v Benson, 430 FSupp 3d 297 (ED Mich 2019), the minimum number of signatures required for non-affiliated candidates seeking statewide office was reduced from 30,000 to 12,000. The maximum number remains 60,000 as specified in MCL 168.544f. 2026 Election Dates Primary Election Tuesday, August 4, 2026 General Election Tuesday, November 3, 2026 Office Type of Petition/Nomination Signatures Needed Filing Location Filing Deadline Withdrawal Deadline Governor Qualifying 12,000- 60,0003 SOS 7/16/2026, 4: p.m. 7/20/2026 5 p.m. Lt. Governor Nominated by Governor Candidate N/A SOS N/A N/A Secretary of State Qualifying 12,000- 60,000 SOS 7/16/2026 4 p.m. 7/20/2026 5 p.m. Attorney General Qualifying 12,000- 60,000 SOS 7/16/2026 4 p.m. 7/20/2026 5 p.m. U.S. Senator Qualifying 12,000- 60,000 SOS 7/16/2026, 4 p.m. 7/20/2026, 4 p.m. U.S. Representative In Congress Qualifying 3,000- 6,000 SOS or County Clerk 7/16/2026, 4 p.m. 7/20/2026, 4 p.m. State Senator Qualifying 1,500- 3,000 SOS or County Clerk 7/16/2026 4 p.m. 7/20/2026 5 p.m. State Representative Qualifying 600-1,200 SOS or County Clerk 7/68/2026, 4 p.m. 7/20/2026, 4p.m. State Board of Ed U of M Regent MSU Trustee WSU Governor Qualifying 12,000- 60,000 SOS 7/16/2026, 4 p.m. 7/20/2026, 4 p.m. Precinct Delegate N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 21 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections Appendix B: Offices that file with the county clerk County U.S. House Districts State Senate Districts State House Districts Bay 96 Calhoun 44 Eaton 76 Genesee 27 69, 70 Ingham 73, 74 Kalamazoo 40, 41 Kent 29 80-84, 90 Lenawee 34 Livingston 50 Macomb 11, 24 13, 58-62 Muskegon 87 Oakland 11 7, 13 6, 18-21, 51-56 Ottawa 85 Saginaw 94 Washtenaw 32, 33 Wayne 13 1-6 1-4, 7, 9, 10, 15-17, 22, 24-27 ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 22 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections Appendix C: Petition signature requirements The following “population-based” signature requirements apply to certain federal and all state offices, judicial offices, county offices (including county commissioner), township offices (including offices elected in charter townships), city offices (unless otherwise set by charter) and village offices (unless otherwise set by charter). Partisan Petition Non-partisan Petition Qualifying Petition Population Min Max Min Max Min Max 0 - 9,999 3 10 6 20 9 30 10,000 - 24,999 20 50 40 100 60 150 25,000 - 49,999 50 100 100 200 150 300 50,000 - 74,999 100 200 200 400 300 600 75,000 - 99,999 200 400 400 800 600 1,200 100,000 - 199,999 300 500 600 1,000 900 1,500 200,000 - 499,999 500 1,000 1,000 2,000 1,500 3,000 500,000 - 999,999 1,000 2,000 2,000 4,000 3,000 6,000 1,000,000 - 1,999,999 2,000 4,000 4,000 8,000 6,000 12,000 2,000,000 - 4,999,999 4,000 8,000 6,200 12,000 12,000 24,000 Over 5 million (statewide) 15,000 30,000 30,000 60,000 12,0004 60,000 1. Statewide positions: A qualifying petition filed by a candidate without political party affiliation for the office of President, Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, U.S. Senator, State Board of Education, University of Michigan Regent, Michigan State University Trustee, Wayne State University Governor or Supreme Court Justice must be signed by at least 100 registered electors in each of at least half of the congressional districts in the state. MCL 168.590b(4). 2. All signatures submitted on a qualifying petition must have been collected within the preceding 180-day period; signatures which are dated more than 180 days prior to the date of the petition is filed are invalid. 4 In Graveline v Benson, 430 FSupp 3d 297 (ED Mich 2019), the minimum number of signatures required for non-affiliated candidates seeking statewide office was reduced from 30,000 to 12,000. The maximum number remains 60,000 as specified in MCL 168.544f. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 23 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections Appendix D: Signature Verification Examples # Petition signature verification examples Recommended result 1. Signature appears as if voter’s hand is trembling or shaking, possibly due to a health condition or advancing age: Catherine Metzger versus Valid signature 2. Only part of the signature matches the signature on file such as only the first letters of the first and last name match, but rest of signature does not match: versus Jane Doe J. Doe versus Jane Doe Valid signature 3. Signature is partially printed but at the same time, partially matches the signature on file: A lice Robinson versus Alice Robinson Valid signature 4. Signature is a recognized diminutive of the voter’s full legal name: Bill Smith versus William Smith Valid signature 5. Signature style has changed over time: Lucinda Jones versus Lucinda Jones Valid signature 6. Signature is entirely printed but signature on file is entirely written in cursive: JAMES DAVIS versus James Davis Questionable signature 7. Signature differs in multiple, significant and obvious respects: John Hancock versus Questionable signature versus Questionable signature ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 24 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections Appendix E: Circulator best practices Circulators Train your petition circulators. Informing petition circulators of the requirements described in this publication can minimize the likelihood that whole petition sheets and individual signatures are rejected. Errors may be averted if circulators take the following actions: • Write the name of the county of circulation in the heading of the petition and verify that signers are registered to vote in the county listed. • Ask potential signers whether they are registered to vote. • Instruct signers to provide their street address or rural route where indicated; a P.O. Box is invalid. • Remind signers to write the date of signing, not their date of birth. • Review each signer’s entry for completeness. If information is omitted, ask the signer to fill in the blank(s). • Encourage signers to sign in a way that reasonably resembles the signature given for driver’s license or voter registration purposes. It is not necessary for the signer’s petition signature to be a perfect match with the signature on file. See “Signature Verification” section. • Once circulation of a petition sheet is complete, ensure that the circulator signs and dates the certificate of circulator and provides the required information. If the circulator is not a Michigan resident, they must also check the nonresident box in the bottom left corner of the petition sheet and write the name of the county where registered to vote, if any. If hiring paid circulators, candidate sponsors and candidates should research circulator companies and check their work. Candidates and candidate sponsors should be sure they are hiring reputable companies or circulators that will collect and submit valid signatures as required by law. Candidate sponsors and circulators should review petition sheets collected by circulators periodically during the collection period to ensure valid signatures are being collected and all required components are accurately completed to maintain signature and petition sheet validity. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 25 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections Crossing county lines Exercise care when circulating in or near cities and villages that cross county lines. Several cities and villages in Michigan overlap county boundary lines. When obtaining a signature from a voter who is registered in a city or village that crosses county boundaries, make sure the voter signs the petition sheet that aligns with the signer’s county of registration. Quality control Implement a quality control process before filing the petition. Candidates are strongly encouraged to obtain a copy of the Qualified Voter File (QVF) for pre-filing verification purposes. Any petition signatures found to be invalid during the quality control process because the street address or date is omitted) can be crossed out prior to filing; crossed out signatures are excluded when determining the maximum number of signatures filed. Review all petition sheets prior to filing for completeness, especially the name of the county of circulation and the certificate of circulator. File enough signatures. Candidates are strongly encouraged to gather and file substantially more signatures than the minimum number required. The number of excess signatures needed will vary depending on the vigorousness of the candidate’s quality control process. Even if the petition has been verified by a professional signature gathering firm prior to filing, note that A challenge may be filed against the sufficiency of the nominating or qualifying petition, and There is a likelihood that some signatures or whole petition sheets may be found to be invalid during the canvass process. However, note that there is an upper limit on the maximum number of signatures that may be filed; see MCL 168.544f for further information. Note: The information in this brochure is offered as a summary of the provisions governing the validity of petition signatures; it is not a complete description of interpretation of all pertinent laws. Questions may be addressed to [EMAIL REDACTED]. Facilitating efficient review The Michigan Board of State Canvassers is responsible for canvassing petitions to determine whether a petition has sufficient valid signatures for placement on the ballot. The Michigan Bureau of Elections (BOE) supports the Board in this responsibility by reviewing petition signatures and ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 26 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections producing a staff report for the Board’s review. The thorough review of petition signatures is a labor intensive and time-consuming process requiring as many as 1,900 personnel hours to sort, review, number, count and review the sample for a single petition. The guidance below is offered to aid petition filers in submitting petition signatures to streamline the review process for placement before the BSC for determination. • All petition sheets should be unfolded, flattened, and neatly organized. • If petition sheets contain tear-off sections, tear-off sections must be completely removed prior to submission. • All petition sheets should be sorted by number of valid signatures per sheet. • All petition sheets should be sorted into bundles, with consistent numbers of sheets per bundle easily combined into a bundle of 100; for example, 25 or 50 per bundle. • For statewide drives, filers should separate out 100 signatures from at least half of the congressional districts. • All bundles should be sorted into boxes, with a consistent number of bundles per box. • Each box should include cover sheets containing estimates of the number of signatures and sheets per box. • Petition filers should cross out signatures (using a single strikethrough line with a ballpoint pen) and remove wholly invalid signature sheets it has identified prior to submission. Note: The BOE cannot provide a specific estimate on how long it will take complete each canvass. These timelines are also affected by staff availability and other responsibilities. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 27 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections Appendix F: Jurisdiction name variations Abbreviation Corresponds to … County AA, A2 Ann Arbor city, Ann Arbor Township Washtenaw BC Battle Creek Calhoun BH Benton Harbor Berrien BH, Blfd Hlls Bloomfield Hills Oakland D’born Dearborn Wayne D’born Hts Dearborn Heights Wayne Det Detroit Wayne EL, E Lan East Lansing Ingham Farm Farmington Oakland FH, Farm Hlls Farmington Hills Oakland Fnt Flint city, Flint Township Genesee GR Grand Rapids Kent GP Grosse Pointe Wayne GPF Grosse Pointe Farms Wayne GPP Grosse Pointe Park Wayne GPS Grosse Pointe Shores Wayne GPW Grosse Pointe Woods Wayne HP Highland Park Wayne Kal, K’zoo Kalamazoo Kalamazoo Lan Lansing Ingham Musk Muskegon Muskegon Sag Saginaw city, Saginaw Township Saginaw SSM Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa SH Shelby Township Macomb SH, Ster Hgts Sterling Heights Macomb S’fld Southfield Oakland SCS St. Clair Shores Macomb St. Joe St. Joseph Berrien TC Traverse City Grand Traverse WB West Bloomfield Oakland Ypsi Ypsilanti Washtenaw ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 28 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections Appendix G: Signature coding ENTRY CODE CODE NAME EXPLANATION SIGNATURE ERRORS CO Crossed off Signature was crossed out prior to filing. DUP Duplicate Voter signed petition multiple times, or signed nominating petitions for more candidates than there are persons to be elected to the office (e.g. 3 judicial candidates when there are 2 vacant positions). IS Invalid signature The petition signature is omitted or does not sufficiently agree with the signature on file. NR Not registered On the date of signing, the signer was not registered to vote anywhere in the city or township indicated. Note: If a signer is registered to vote at a different address within the same city or township as written on the petition, the signature is valid. See examples below: Petition Address Registration Address 456 Maple St., Flint 456 Maple St., Mt. Morris Invalid [NR] 123 Main St., Mason 987 Maple St., Mason Valid ADDRESS AND JURISDICTIONAL ISSUES IA Invalid address Address is blank, missing house number or street name, or P.O. Box listed. IC Invalid city or township There is no city or township by that name located within the county listed at the top or the city or township field was left blank. NC Nonexistent county County listed does not exist (misspelled county is not OD Outside district The address given is located within the city or township listed, but outside of the electoral district for the office sought. R Registered/registered at other address in jurisdiction Registered at address provided on petition or registered at another address within city/township listed on the petition. DATE ERRORS ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 29 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections DATE Invalid date • Signature is dated before the first date signatures may be circulated. For example, the signor provides the date of birth. Note: For qualifying petitions only, any signature that is dated more than 180 days prior to the date of filing is invalid. • Signature is dated before the filing of the petition (483a filing). • Signer's signature is dated after the circulator dated their signature. • Date is incomplete, illegible or missing. HEAD Invalid heading entries • Failure to include candidate name, address, name of office, party affiliation (if applicable), and date of primary. • Failure to include whether incumbent, non-incumbent, or new position, or incorrect designation as such. • Font size deviates from requirements (Certain items are 24-point or 12-point font; everything else is 8-point font.) FORM ISSUES DMG Damaged Damaged, mutilated, or torn petition sheets that are damaged in a way that interferes with the presence of any of the mandatory elements (heading, warning statements, circulator certificate, signer entries). FORM Form error Incorrect form used or incorrect petition submitted with filing. MRE Missing required element Missing a required element, e.g., warning cut off when printed, illegible words (crossed out with marker). CIRCULATOR ISSUES CIRC Circulator information missing • Failure to include the circulator name, complete residential address (street or rural route number, city or township and state). • Not signed by circulator. • Circulator date is omitted or illegible. OS Out-of-State box blank Out-of-state circulator failed to check non-residency box in the Certificate of Circulator. PV Paid/volunteer box blank Circulator did not mark paid/volunteer box. MISCELLANEOUS ERRORS IL Illegible Unable to read enough information provided by the signer(s) to identify the signer. MC Miscellaneous Miscellaneous errors identified not provided above. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 30 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections Appendix H: Petition size requirements ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 31 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections Appendix I: Invalid sheet examples Examples one through eleven below are considered fully invalid sheets, where no signature will be considered valid. 1. The out-of-state circulator box is blank when the circulator’s address is out of state. 2. Circulator did not sign the petition. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 32 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections 3. Circulator fails to date petition. 4. Circulator address missing or incomplete. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 33 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections 5. The county of circulation is omitted or lists a nonexistent county. 6. Mandatory elements in the warning statement have been cut off or omitted. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 34 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections 7. Stickers are covering up mandatory elements in the heading. 8. Incomplete Title of Office. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 35 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections 9. Incorrect election year. 10. Incorrect election date. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 36 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections 11. District number missing. Examples twelve through eighteen would only invalidate the entire sheet if all signers on the sheet had an error or if it were the only signature on the sheet. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 37 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections 12. City/township is not within the county listed in the heading. 13. Circulator dated petition before the date of all the signatures on the sheet. 14. Signer’s street address is missing or a P.O. Box. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 38 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections 15. Date of signer’s signature is missing or incomplete. 16. Signer put their date of birth rather than the date of signing. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 39 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections 17. Signer’s signature is missing. 18. Petition signature is more than 180 days old. ---PAGE BREAK--- No Party Affiliation Petition Manual I 40 February 2026 Michigan Bureau of Elections