Hundreds of thousands of Michigan voters are expected to participate in the March 10 primary, which will be the first Michigan presidential primary conducted under new rules that allow no-reason absentee balloting and allow people to register to vote up to and on Election Day.

The reforms are part of Proposal 3 approved by voters in November 2018.

The two biggest changes under the new rules:

Michigan residents can register to vote up to Election Day by going to their city or township clerk’s office. (The deadline has passed to register online.) To be eligible to vote, the person must be a U.S. citizen age 18 or older. To verify residency, the person must present a Michigan’s driver’s license, state identification card, current utility bill, a bank statement, a pay check, a government check or current government document. The document must have the person’s name and current address.

Any registered voter can vote by absentee ballot. Previously, absentee balloting was limited to people who are age 60 and older, disabled, poll workers or who sign an affidavit saying they will be out of town on Election Day.

Below are seven things to know about early voting and absentee ballots.

1. Any registered voter can vote by absentee ballot.

You can cast your ballot anytime between now and March 10.

If you’re registering to vote or updating your address by appearing at your clerk’s office, you can request an absentee ballot at the same time.

2. Absentee ballots can be obtained by mail or in person.

Absentee ballots can be obtained in person at their local city and township clerk offices, or click here for a downloadable request form.

Friday, March 6, is last day that election clerks will mail out absentee ballots for the March 10 election.

Ballots picked in person at a clerk’s office cannot be given to anyone other than the voter. Voters will be asked to present a valid photo ID when obtaining an absentee ballot in person at the clerk’s office.

Need the address or phone number for your local election clerk? Look online at www.michigan.gov/vote and type in your name and birth month and year under “Voter information.” That search will yield a map of your polling place. Just above the map is a tab that says “local clerk,” which provides an address and phone number

3. For the presidential primary, you must specify whether you want a Democratic or Republican ballot.

Voters must choose between participating in the Democratic or Republican primary, and pick which ballot they want.

There’s also an option for voters who don’t wish to participate in either primary, but are casting a vote for local proposals or candidates on the March 10 ballot.

If you search by your name at michigan.gov/vote, you can see a preview of your specific ballot.

4. Monday, March 9, is the deadline for getting an absentee ballot, and local election offices must be open Saturday, March 7.

The deadline for obtaining an absentee ballot is 4 p.m. Monday, March 9. However, ballots picked up on Monday from local clerks must be fill out and turned in immediately; they can not be taken home.

Note that Michigan’s city and township election clerks are required to hold office hours until 2 p.m. Saturday, March 7, specifically to hand out and collect absentee ballots.

5. Election Day is the deadline for returning absentee ballots.

Absentee ballots must be in the hands of local election clerks by 8 p.m. March 10. Postmarks don’t count. The law requires election officials to throw out absentee ballots that arrive in the mail after Election Day.

That means absentee ballots should be mailed no later than Friday, March 6, to make sure they arrive in time. Absentee ballots also can be hand-delivered to local election clerks as late as Election Day.

Incidentally, the U.S. Postal Service's official policy is to deliver all absentee and mail-in ballots, regardless of whether they have proper postage. That said, no postage or using only one stamp likely will slow down delivery.

You can track your absentee ballot at www.michigan.gov/vote.

6. Make sure to fill out the ballot correctly -- including signing the envelope.

One big advantage of voting on Election Day is your ballot is immediately feed into a tabulator and if it's filled out improperly, you can redo it.

Absentee voters don't have that opportunity, so it's important not to risk having a ballot rejected. Make sure to read the instructions.

The common reason ballots are rejected: Voters did not fill in the ovals next to their election choices; drawing a circle around the ovals doesn't count. Michigan law requires markings to appear within the oval to count as a valid vote.

Use a ballpoint pen vs. a felt marker, which can bleed through and spoil the ballot.

And make sure to sign the ballot envelope. Unsigned ballots aren't counted.

7. If you lose your absentee ballot or change your mind on how to vote, you can get a new ballot.

Do you misplace your absentee ballot? Has your favorite candidate dropped out? Or maybe you handed in your absentee ballot but changed your mind on how to vote?

If you lost your ballot, you can obtain a new ballot from your city or township clerk before 4 p.m. Monday, March 9, or you can go to your polling place on Election Day.

If you changed your mind on how to vote, go to your county clerk before 4 p.m. Monday, March 9, so they can pull the original ballot you turned in and issue a new one.