Return Your Completed Absentee Ballot
Vote it all and send it to your clerk asap. Must arrive before election day. To find out where to mail or deliver, click here. Michigan law allows anyone 60 or older to vote absentee, or those with an interfering religious obligation, or those who plan to be absent on Election Day. (The key word here is plan.) The law also allows absentee voting in cases of medical emergency or in jail awaiting arraignment or trial. A voter can apply for an absentee ballot up to the Saturday before Election Day at the clerk’s office in your city or township. Absentee ballots must be returned by 8 pm on Election Day. Look at the video here.
THREE PITFALLS TO AVOID WHEN VOTING ABSENTEE:
- Sign the envelope. (Your vote won’t count unless your signature is on the envelope).
- Be sure and use a 71¢ postage or two 50¢ stamps!!!!
- Mail it to the correct address.
Some voters worry that their ballot will be rejected if their signature is not identical to the one on their registration card. This is not a valid concern in Michigan, according to Larry Kestenbaum, Washtenaw County Clerk and Register of Deeds. The election board has digitalized copies of drivers’ licenses with their signatures. Also, he notes, “It’s an urban legend that absentee ballots may not be counted. Every vote is counted.”
PIease note: All clerks are open on Saturday, Nov. 3 for in-person absentee voting until 2:00 pm. In most cases, you can even walk in during business hours, collect your ballot and vote on the spot. Be sure and take your Blue Wave Ballot with you to the clerk’s office if this is your plan.