A new audit shows Michigan's voter registration system is overwhelmingly accurate, with only a handful of noncitizens and deceased individuals found on the rolls as the state prepares for the 2026 midterm election.
Michigan's voter registration system has come under intense scrutiny just months before the 2026 midterm election, but a sweeping audit by the Office of the Auditor General has found the state's voter rolls are overwhelmingly accurate-despite persistent political claims to the contrary.
The audit, released Friday, revealed that 99.99% of the 8.3 million records in the Qualified Voter File (QVF) contain complete and valid personal data as required by state law. The findings directly challenge years of allegations from Republican critics who have accused Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, now the Democratic nominee for governor, of allowing widespread voter fraud.
Noncitizen and Deceased Registrations
While the audit did identify some irregularities, the numbers are minuscule compared to the total voter base. Between January 2022 and March 2026, only 403 registrations were canceled or rejected due to citizenship issues. This includes individuals who marked themselves as noncitizens on registration forms or failed to confirm their citizenship when challenged by election officials. An additional 347 registrations were canceled for being "registered in error," a category that may include noncitizens but also covers other mistakes.
Concerns about deceased voters casting ballots were also addressed. The audit found that 2,582 ballots were cast by individuals who, according to state health records, died before Election Day. However, 2,561 of these were absentee or early ballots submitted by voters who died within 40 days of the election-a period when absentee voting is permitted. Michigan law requires officials to void ballots if they learn a voter died before Election Day, but delays in death certification and data updates can make this difficult for those who pass away close to the election.
Data Errors and System Limitations
The audit uncovered 653 registered voters with birthdates indicating they are older than 122 years, and 73 who are younger than 17 and a half. According to the Department of State, these anomalies are often the result of data entry errors or placeholder dates used when older paper records were digitized. For example, a birth year of 1900 is sometimes entered as a placeholder for missing information, making it easier to identify and correct such records later.
Another issue involved the Department of State's monthly reports, which significantly overstated the number of people automatically registered to vote when updating their driver's license or state ID. The department attributed this to a technical error in the reporting script, not the underlying voter data, and has since corrected the problem.
Routine Maintenance and Political Context
Election officials canceled nearly 1 million voter registrations from 2022 to 2026 for permissible reasons, such as death or moving out of state. The Department of State emphasized that these actions demonstrate proactive maintenance of the voter rolls, not evidence of systemic problems. The auditor general did not determine whether any flagged noncitizens actually voted, but Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel recently charged five noncitizens with allegedly voting illegally in the 2024 election.
As the 2026 campaign heats up, the audit's findings are likely to become a focal point in debates over election integrity. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's record is already a target for Republican opponents, as seen in recent coverage of the GOP's election strategy.
How Michigan Maintains Its Voter Rolls
Michigan's voter registration system relies on regular cross-checks with state health and driver's license records, as well as responses from local election officials. When a voter dies, moves, or is otherwise ineligible, their registration is flagged for removal. The process is not instantaneous, especially when deaths occur close to an election, but the audit confirms that the system is functioning as designed and that errors are rare and typically corrected in routine updates.
For residents, the audit offers reassurance that Michigan's elections are not being undermined by widespread registration errors or fraud. The small number of irregularities identified are dwarfed by the scale of the state's voter base and are being addressed through established procedures.
Michigan's approach to voter roll maintenance is neither perfect nor immune to technical hiccups, but the evidence shows a system that is fundamentally sound and actively managed. The real test for election officials will be whether they can keep the process transparent and responsive as political pressure mounts in the final stretch before November. For now, the numbers speak for themselves: Michigan's voter rolls are about as clean as any state could reasonably expect heading into a major election year.
