Residents are currently being inundated with election-related materials, many of which are from third parties. Mail, phone, texts, and more. With so much information coming your way from so many different sources, election confusion can result. Official and person-specific information is readily available. One source is the Bloomfield Township webpage where you can obtain some of the latest information and updates and useful election forms. Another source is the State of Michigan Voter Information website, mvic.sos.state.mi.us. There, you can electronically register to vote and apply for an absentee ballot and ultimately track your absentee ballot through the issuing and approval process. Or, if you want to talk to a person about election procedures, contact me or my staff in The Clerk’s Office.
Early voting for the August Primary will be at the Bloomfield Township Library starting Saturday, July 27th and ending Sunday, August 4th. The hours each day are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except Thursday when the hours are noon to 8:00 p.m. At early voting, bring your absentee ballot to personally send it through the tabulator. If you were not sent an absentee ballot or lost/destroyed that ballot, you will be issued a precinct ballot to complete and tabulate.
My office has mailed absentee ballots to all qualified voters who have submitted a valid application. The ballot was mailed to the voter’s address on file (home or alternate as the voter has indicated). When a ballot is issued to a voter, it has a serial number that is assigned to that specific voter, which allows it to be tracked. Of course, any supposed ballot returned that we did not issue is obvious and is not tabulated. Any ballot returned without the numbered stub or containing a different number will be tabulated as a challenged ballot, which allows a court to identify that ballot in case voter eligibility has to be resolved during any recount. We check every signature against your signature on your drivers’ license or other state identification. If the voter’s signature on the return absentee ballot envelope is not completed or does not match the signature on file, the ballot is rejected and the voter is advised. In such a situation, you can still vote by appearing in the precinct or by remedying the absentee ballot signature issue before 5 p.m. the Friday after Election Day. The Clerk’s Office contacts voters to alert them of a rejection due to a signature issue so that it can be timely remedied.
To return your absentee ballot, we encourage you to place it into a Township drop box or leave it directly with the Clerk’s Office. The return envelope contains prepaid postage, but mail delivery times are highly variable, so do not delay and return your absentee ballot today. To be eligible for counting, the Clerk must receive the return envelope containing your ballot by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
Visit Voting Information to learn more about completing your August Primary absentee ballot. I hope to see another large turnout from the Township’s registered voters! Say hello if you see me this election season!
Martin C. Brook, Township Clerk | 248.433.7702 | clerk@bloomfieldtwp.org