Dansville, Michigan Public Records

Michigan residents may register to vote online at the Michigan Voter Information Center at michigan.gov/vote, by mail using a printable application, or in person at the Ingham County Clerk's office, any Secretary of State branch office, or at designated state agencies. Michigan offers Election Day registration, allowing eligible residents to register and vote the same day at their local clerk's office or polling place with proof of residency. For advance registration, the deadline is 15 days before an election when registering by mail or online; in-person registration at the clerk's office is available through Election Day. Voters must provide their Michigan driver's license or state ID number, or the last four digits of their Social Security number. Proof of residency is required for same-day registration. As an incorporated village, Dansville conducts municipal elections for Village Council and Village President. Village elections are held on odd-year November general election dates. The Village Council consists of six trustees elected to staggered terms, with three trustees elected every two years. The Village President is elected separately. The most recent village election was November 2023; the next regular village election will be November 2025. Information about village candidates, local ballot proposals, and filing requirements can be obtained from the Village Clerk at 1919 E. Mason Street, Dansville, MI 48819, phone (517) 623-6646, or from the Ingham County Clerk's Elections Division. Residents can look up their assigned polling place, view their sample ballot, check voter registration status, and find absentee ballot information through the Michigan Voter Information Center at michigan.gov/vote by entering their name and birth date or their Michigan driver's license or state ID number. The village typically operates one consolidated polling location for residents, historically at Dansville Schools, but the specific location is confirmed through the voter information system before each election. Michigan election records that are public include the Qualified Voter File (the statewide voter registration database, available for purchase by political committees and certain other requesters under MCL 168.522 and 168.523), campaign finance disclosure statements filed by candidates and committees (searchable at michigan.gov/campaignfinance), candidate filing documents including nominating petitions and affidavits of identity, and official election results by precinct. Precinct-level election results for Ingham County are published by the Ingham County Clerk at ingham.org/Clerk after each election and are maintained as permanent public records. In the November 2024 presidential general election, Ingham County recorded a voter turnout of approximately 74% of registered voters, reflecting strong participation in the presidential race. Countywide, the election saw turnout in Democratic-leaning precincts near Lansing and East Lansing, with more moderate turnout in rural communities like Dansville. Looking ahead to the November 3, 2026 general election, voters in the area will decide several significant races. Michigan's gubernatorial election will be held in 2026, as Governor Gretchen Whitmer's current term expires (she is term-limited and cannot seek re-election). All Michigan constitutional offices including Secretary of State, Attorney General, and the full Michigan State Legislature (110 State House seats and 38 State Senate seats) will be on the ballot. Federally, all of Michigan's U.S. House seats will be contested in 2026; Michigan does have a U.S. Senate race in 2026 for the seat currently held by Gary Peters. Ingham County will also elect county commission seats, the Ingham County Clerk, County Treasurer, Register of Deeds, Prosecuting Attorney, and Sheriff. The village will not have a municipal election in 2026 (next village election is 2025 and then 2027 on the odd-year cycle), but voters will participate in all federal, state, and county contests. Michigan is a no-excuse absentee voting state under constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2018. Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot without providing a reason. Absentee ballot applications can be submitted online through the Michigan Voter Information Center at michigan.gov/vote, by mailing a paper application to the Ingham County Clerk or the Dansville Village Clerk, or in person at either clerk's office. The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail is 5:00 p.m. The Friday before Election Day. Voters may request an absentee ballot in person at their local clerk's office up until 4:00 p.m. On the Monday before Election Day, and may request and vote an absentee ballot in person at the clerk's office up through 8:00 p.m. On Election Day itself. Completed absentee ballots must be returned to the clerk's office by 8:00 p.m. On Election Day; postmarks do not count. Michigan offers secure drop boxes for absentee ballot return in most communities, and voters can track their absentee ballot status online through the Michigan Voter Information Center.