Thanks to the success of Proposal 3 in 2018, Michigan voters now have NO EXCUSE absentee voting. This welcome expansion of voting rights, coupled with the ability of voters to request absentee ballots from their city/township clerk and complete/submit them in person, will transform the voting landscape for us in 2020. And that transformation starts NOW.
Our “early voting” in Michigan looks different than it does in other states where they have polling places staffed and open prior to election day. With the possibility existing at scale only since 2019, it’s still going to take some adjustment for us. But with practice, we can adapt.
These are the key points to know about early voting in Michigan at this stage of the process.
- Absentee ballots are already being mailed out to voters who submitted their application for one. A staffer at my clerk’s office confirmed that they have begun the process and should be putting mine in the mail TODAY.
- Starting TODAY, Thursday, September 24, all city and township clerks are supposed to have absentee ballots available to voters who come to request them and vote in person.
If you’re like me, you’re excited! I cannot wait to receive my ballot, complete it, and return it to my clerk!
To celebrate this novel capacity we have in Michigan, top candidates and elected officials are hosting a virtual rally tonight, from 7:30-8:00 PM: Early Voting Rally with Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan Electeds, and Special Guests. Clicking the link will take you to the registration page—and introduce you to the Mobilize America platform if you don’t already know it.
But, of course, there is a catch to voting early in Michigan. Several catches, actually, in this time of COVID-19. To start, you have to know how your city or township clerk is conducting business now. Many clerks in areas with a small population have very limited hours anyway, perhaps only a few hours per week. Given pandemic precautions, some clerks’ offices may only be open by appointment. Are any of these factors relevant for your own clerk? You can at least identify your clerk’s office thanks to this handy resource sponsored by the Michigan Secretary of State. (All props to our new Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson, for radically improving this fundamentally important voter information resource and portal; it’s much easier to navigate than previous iterations, and the individual voter lookup is clear and complete.)
Clicking on the link above will display a page that looks like this.
The information provided by our current SOS, Jocelyn Benson, is light years beyond the online tools offered by her predecessor.
When you enter your own address, you’ll see the information that your city or township clerk has made available. Some jurisdictions are more forthcoming than others. Mine not only provides the office address, but also the clerk’s name, contact information, and their office’s hours of operation. Some clerks in other cities/townships in my county provide an additional important detail: ballot drop box locations. Out of concern over the possibility of misrouting ballots, the SOS seems to have reconsidered its earlier strategy to provide a state-wide list of ballot drop boxes.
BEWARE!
IF NOT COMPLETED ON-SITE, ABSENTEE BALLOTS MUST BE EITHER MAILED OR ELSE RETURNED TO A DROP BOX
WITHIN A VOTER’S OWN
CITY OR TOWNSHIP!
This concern about appropriate delivery is moot if you pick up your ballot and complete it on the spot. Some clerks will make space available for voters to do that; other offices will be too small to accommodate that possibility. Of course some voters will prefer to take the ballot home to review and complete in a more leisurely way. It also remains possible to complete the ballot at home and to return it via the USPS rather than seeking out a drop box—as long as you do it promptly. Let’s not take any chances about having our ballots rejected, either. Make sure to put your ballot in the security envelope, sign it where indicated, and if you will be mailing it, add sufficient stamps if your jurisdiction is not picking up the tab for the postage.
Let me note one other important feature: the ability to keep tabs on the status of my absentee ballot. I’ll use my own voting status to illustrate the advantages. I requested my absentee ballot months ago. By going to the “Who is my clerk?” link under Your Voter Information on the michigan.gov/vote page and completing the form displayed on the redirect, I confirmed that my application was received and that the ballot would be mailed to me on September 24. Here’s a screenshot of my own voter information page.
Knowing that my ballot is supposedly en route to me enables me to be on the lookout for it. If it doesn’t arrive in a few days, then I would be justified in going to my clerk’s office to inquire, and at that point I could ask to “spoil” the missing ballot and request a replacement. Now, however, I am willing to let the process play out.
Once I receive, complete, and return my ballot, I can also track its receipt by the clerk’s office. This capacity will be especially reassuring for those of us who return our ballots via the USPS. The state SOS records for all Michigan voters will update regularly, based on reports from each city or township clerk. This information, by the way, is public, and leads me to another reason why it is helpful for us to vote early.
After the Michigan SOS reports that your absentee ballot has been received, it is no longer necessary for Democratic GOTV (Get Out The Vote) workers to badger you about your plan to vote. And of course voting early also frees you to do just that sort of GOTV activity yourself. See the Daily Kos GOTV resource featured below for many helpful and popular suggestions.
When Election Day approaches I’ll post an update about deadlines related to early voting in person. For now, however, I’d like to introduce another useful resource for voting in Michigan, the Voter Information Hub presented by the Michigan Dems. On their Vote Early in Person page you’ll see a couple of important details among the FAQ. One explains the ID requirement: It is NOT necessary to provide a photo ID to vote early. If you do not have one with you, it is still possible to obtain your ballot as long as you sign an affidavit to confirm your identity. This is also true for voting at a polling place, for that matter. The other is that in some jurisdictions, notably (but not only) Detroit, there will be satellite offices set up in addition to the main clerk’s office. Be sure to check out the other well-organized information on the Michigan Dems’ VOTE page, and share it far and wide.
I’ll leave you with this cheerful YouTube explainer about absentee voting, produced by the Washtenaw County Clerk, Elections Division. The basic details are correct, though at the moment there is some uncertainty about the deadline for receipt of absentee ballots. Last week, Judge Cynthia Diane Stephens on the Court of Claims ruled in Michigan Alliance for Retired Americans v. Benson that the deadline for accepting ballots should be extended under certain conditions. Although the defendants in that case, Jocelyn Benson and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, have already announced they will not appeal, the GOP leaders of the Michigan Legislature have embarked on a strategy for overturning Judge Stephens’ decision. Thus, the original deadline for receipt of absentee ballots—by 8:00 PM ET on Tuesday, November 3, at the appropriate city or township clerk’s office—is still the one listed in official statements from clerks, the Michigan SOS, and the Michigan Dems.
In other words: Vote early and make sure your ballot gets back to your clerk ASAP.
We in Michigan have the opportunity, the tools, and I daresay the obligation to make up for the disaster of 2016. Let’s get to it.
ESSENTIAL RESOURCES FOR MICHIGAN VOTERS:
Michigan Voter Information Center: Michigan.gov/Vote
Your definitive resource for all things related to voting in Michigan, from registration to voting rules to polling places, hosted by the MI Secretary of State.
Michigan Democratic Party Voter information Hub: MichiganDems.com/Vote
Shortcuts to the most commonly-asked questions and answers, organized by topic, including Election Protection activities
ESSENTIAL GOTV INFORMATION FOR EVERYONE:
Our portal explains how you can participate in the most important election of our lifetime, whether by voting, phonebanking, texting, donating, or helping to staff the polling places and providing election security. Wherever you are, and whatever your abilities and resources, now is the time for us all to do as much as we possibly can.