What happens if I join the Permanent Mail Ballot list?

The Clerk’s Office will automatically mail you a ballot, to the address on your voter file, for every election.
 

Why do we have this option?

Because voters passed Proposal 2 in November 2022, the Michigan Constitution and Michigan law require all municipalities to offer and maintain a Permanent Mail Ballot list. 
 

How do I get my name on the Permanent Mail Ballot list?

1. Complete the form prepared by our office or a written request.
2. Be sure to sign the form or request (we verify signatures. Voters with signature mis-matches will be contacted in an attempt to rectify.).
3. Submit the completed form or request to the Clerk’s Office by mail, email, or in-person.

 

How is the Permanent Mail Ballot list different from the Permanent Absentee Voter Application list?

If you join the Permanent Mail Ballot list, we will mail you a ballot for each election whereas if you are on the Permanent Absentee Voter Application list, we mail you an application for an absentee ballot.  The application process permitted voters to easily define temporary locations for mailing the ballot whereas the permanent mail ballot process will not.
 

Will the Permanent Absentee Voter Application list remain in place?

Our present intention is to keep the Permanent Absentee Voter Application list for a transition period unless required to do otherwise by law or instruction from the Secretary of State.
 

If you are a registered voter in Bloomfield Township, you can be placed on our list if you properly request - no matter the reason or merits of the request.  But, are there reasons why I should not place my name on the Permanent Mail Ballot list?

If your physical location changes throughout the year (Ballots cannot be forwarded by the Post Office).
 

What are the security features?

• Each signature on a request to join the list is verified prior to placement on the list. Voters with signature mis-matches will be contacted in an attempt to rectify.
• If the ballot is returned for processing as an absentee ballot, the voter’s signature is verified prior to counting.
• A registered elector may submit only one ballot per election (the Qualified Voter File tracks this) – voting twice or attempting to vote twice is a felony.  
• People are removed from the list when:

1. The voter submits a written and signed request to be removed from the list.
2. The voter is no longer qualified to vote.
3. The Secretary of State or your local clerk receives reliable information that the voter has moved to another state or has moved within this state, but has not updated their voter registration address.
4. The voter does not vote for six (6) consecutive years.

 

If I move within the state, does my election to be on the Permanent Mail Ballot list follow me?

Yes.  You do not have to complete a new form if you move to a new residence in the state of Michigan and you update your voter registration address.
 

What if a ballot arrives at my home for someone who does not live at this address?

Contact the Clerk’s Office at 248-433-7702.  Reporting people who have not maintained their voter registration will assist us in keeping the Qualified Voter File up-to-date.
 

To what address will the ballot be mailed?

The residential or mailing address you requested to have listed on your voter file.
 

Will the Post Office forward a mailed ballot?

The Post Office cannot forward a ballot.  If your ballot is returned as undeliverable, we will remove you from the Permanent Mail Ballot list unless you submit a new Permanent Mail Ballot list request.
 

How do I take my name off the Permanent Mail Ballot list?

Submit a written and signed request to the Clerk’s Office by mail, in-person, or email.  
 

How else can my name be removed from the Permanent Mail Ballot list if I do not request it?

If the Clerk’s Office receives reliable information that a person is no longer a resident.

 

VOTER ID CARD Q/A WITH TOWNSHIP CLERK, MARTIN BROOK

 

Why did I receive a new Voter ID Card?

At the August 28, 2023 Board of Trustees meeting the Board voted to move the polling location for three precincts.   When we move a polling location, we must notify the impacted voters via a new Voter Information Card.  Precincts 7 and 15 moved due to school construction and reorganization.  Precinct 6 moved to a new polling location within the geographic boundary of that precinct.  In selecting locations, we prioritized making the new location similarly convenient or more convenient for those impacted.
 

Why did I receive a Voter ID Card for someone that does not live at my address?

• First and foremost, it is the responsibility of each citizen to maintain an accurate voter registration record.  However, too frequently, citizens neglect to perform this duty – at least not until an Election Day nears.  In fact, we process thousands of changes in voter registration in the weeks prior to November elections.
• Importantly, citizens who properly register have a legal right to remain registered. They cannot be removed unless we receive a signed request from the voter asking us to remove them, or reliable information to challenge their registration status. If we receive the latter, the voter is afforded due process.  That due process is notice and an opportunity to respond, allowing us to update their registration.
• Please know that voter registration rolls are state-based.  The federal government has elected to not create a national voter registration system. This means that we are not automatically notified when you move to another state.
• All levels of Michigan government work to maintain these lists on a year-round basis in some of the following ways:
  • The state compares against driver’s license records and obtains death certificates.  Daily my office updates registration records based upon these sources of information.  
  • My office also utilizes returned election mail and returned mail from other Township business as a source of information to update registration records. 
  • We also review principle residence filings with the Township and if someone has removed a homestead exemption but did not change their voter registration we would mail the person a registration confirmation card asking for them to verify residency for election purposes.
• Voter registration records are maintained in a statewide database called the Qualified Voter File.  It is maintained by the State, the County, and by Township/Municipal Clerks.