Welcome to the 2026 voter guide for Michigan's Aug. 4 primary election. The voter guide ‒ separate from the Detroit Free Press' news coverage and the Detroit Free Press Editorial Board's endorsements ‒ offers candidates the chance to communicate with voters in their own words. We remove entries that include false or unverifiable statements, personal attacks on other candidates or foul language, but responses are otherwise unedited.
- Visit the Detroit Free Press Voter Guide.
- Find your Michigan Senate district here.
Michigan Senate
Michigan voters will elect representatives and senators to fill a number of open seats in the state Legislature. While the Democratic Party currently controls the upper chamber and the Republican Party the lower, both parties want to take control of the state Legislature next session. The voter guide includes candidates
from Michigan Senate races in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.
How to vote
Local clerks mailed absentee ballots to Michigan voters Sept. 24. Registered voters may cast ballots early, in person, across the state from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1 ‒ check with your local clerk for your city's early voting start date, location of early voting sites and absentee ballot dropboxes. And, of course, you can vote ‒ and register to vote ‒ in person on Nov. 3, Election Day.
Don't see your candidate?
The Free Press invited candidates in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb competitive state Senate races to participate in the voter guide. Free Press staff followed up to ensure each candidate received our questionnaire, but some candidates simply choose not to participate.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Where Michigan Senate candidates stand on education, data centers, more
