Early voters, absentee voters, traditional voters: Here’s what you need to know.

by Mary Jo David

Municipalities have been hard at work prepping for the 2024 elections, beginning with the presidential primary that takes place on February 27, 2024. Michigan has over 8 million registered voters. In an effort to make sure all voters in the state are in the know and ready to vote, townships, counties, and the state have been mailing and posting information about what voters can expect.

SCN has recapped information that may be helpful to those in and around Stockbridge who plan to vote in the February primary. Do not hesitate to look online at your local clerk’s webpage or contact your county or township clerk’s office if you have questions about voting.

• Voting Absentee: All registered voters in Michigan can vote “Absentee.”
• Indicating Ballot Type for Presidential Primary: Although Michigan does not have a party registration requirement for voters participating in presidential primary elections, absentee voters do have to complete a Ballot Selection Form before the February 27 presidential primary in order to receive a mailed ballot. This form is used to indicate whether you are requesting a Democratic Party ballot, a Republication Party ballot, or a nonpartisan “Ballot without Presidential Primary” for the February primary election. NOTE: Municipalities don’t store your party selection over an extended period of time, so you will receive a Ballot Selection Form anytime you wish to vote in a primary election in Michigan.
• Indicating a Temporary Address for a Ballot: You can also use the Ballot Selection Form mentioned above to provide a temporary, one-time address for receiving an absentee primary ballot.
• Permanent Ballot Request: Use the Permanent Ballot Request checkbox on the above-mentioned Ballot Selection Form to indicate you want to automatically receive absentee ballots by postal mail for all future elections.
• Ballot availability: Municipalities are expecting that ballots will become available for distribution beginning January 16, 2024.
• Same-day voter registration: Legal Michigan residents can register, in-person, up to and including on the day of the election, so long as that person can show proof of residency. That proof must be shown “to an election official responsible for maintaining custody of the registration file where the person resides, or their deputies.” NOTE: Early, in-person voting sites will not offer voter registration services. The exception to this is for Michigan residents who vote at their Clerk’s office (e.g., township clerk, County clerk, etc.) or satellite office.
• Turning in an absentee ballot: If you choose to use an absentee ballot, you have the following options for turning in your completed ballot:
  • Mail your completed ballot using U.S. postal mail Michigan. Ballot must arrive at your clerk’s office by 8 p.m. on February 27, 2024.
  • Drop your completed ballot into a locked, official ballot drop box for your municipality before 8 p.m. on February 27, 2024.
  • Bring your completed absentee ballot to your in-person voting location (during early voting or on Election Day) and insert it into the voting tabulator before 8 p.m. on February 27, 2024. Important: You cannot turn in an absentee ballot for someone else at an in-person voting site.
• Traditional Voting: Voters can still vote using the traditional method of casting an in-person ballot at their precinct on the day of the election.
• Early, In-Person Voting: The opportunity to vote early, in-person, is a new option for most precincts. Michigan mandates a minimum of nine days of early voting, but municipalities can use their discretion, up to a maximum of 29 days total. (Nine days seems to be the most common choice by municipalities contacted for this article.) No early, in-person voting will take place on Monday, February 26, the day before Election Day. To help defray the costs and manpower required for early, in-person voting, many of the townships and counties, like those listed below, are teaming with other municipalities to offer sites for early, in-person voting.
  • Henrietta Township residents and Waterloo Township residents can vote early in person at the Blackman Charter Township Hall in Jackson or at the Summit Township Hall in Jackson.
  • Ingham Township and White Oak Township residents can vote early in person at the Ingham Township Hall in Dansville.
  • Iosco Township residents can vote early in person at the Iosco Township Hall in Webberville.
  • Lyndon Township residents can vote early in person at the Sylvan Township Hall in Chelsea or at the Washtenaw County Learning Resource Center in Ann Arbor.
  • Unadilla Township and Putnam Township residents can vote early in person at the Putnam Township Hall in Pinckney.
  • Village of Stockbridge, Stockbridge Township, and Bunker Hill Township residents can vote early in person at the Stockbridge Township Hall in Stockbridge.
• Showing ID to vote: When voting in person in Michigan, be prepared to show a State of Michigan driver’s license or State of Michigan personal ID. Some other forms of photo ID can be used in lieu of these. Contact your clerk or look online for a list of acceptable forms of photo ID. If you do not have an acceptable photo ID when voting in person, you can request to fill out a form called “Affidavit of Voter Not in Possession of Picture ID” before voting. NOTE: Showing a photocopy or cell phone image of a photo ID will not be accepted in lieu of the actual ID.
• Ballot Tracking: After you vote, you can track your ballot by filling out the required fields at the following website: https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/Voter/Index .

Please visit the Michigan Voter Information Center at www.Michigan.gov/vote for more information on your voter registration status, finding your polling place, understanding the absentee voting process, and more.

Sources:

• “Background Brief: Absentee Voting in the Post-Proposal 3/COVID-19 Era,” House Fiscal Agency, on the house.mi.gov
• “Questions and Answers: Michigan’s Presidential Primary,” State of Michigan Bureau of Elections, on the gov/ website.
• “Unadilla Township 2024 Presidential Primary Voter Options,” on the twp.unadilla.mi.us website

Michigan’s presidential primary is February 27, 2024. Voters can vote early (absentee or in-person) or they can vote on Election Day. Check your mail, look online, or contact your clerk’s office if you have questions before the election. Image credit: Element5 Digital on unsplash.com