EDITOR’S NOTE: The article about early voting centers erroneously reported that four municipalities have agreed to share duties and costs of such centers. Wayland City Clerk Lee Ann Clausen said representatives from the four municipalities met Monday, no formal agreement was reached.
Her comment was: “The group that met was the Allegan County Clerks Association Board of Directors, to put a plan into place. The plan is to go with the commissioner districts in the county. Our district would include Dorr, Leighton, Wayland Twp. and Wayland City. No agreement has been made as of yet. The four of us clerks have yet to get together to see if this is the direction we would like to go. Most likely, this will be the case, however I don’t want the other clerks to think I have put words in their mouths.”
The City of Wayland, Wayland Township and Dorr and Leighton townships may forge an agreement to work together in absorbing duties and costs in the newly-mandate nine-day early voting period for next year.
Wayland City Clerk Le Ann Clausen told council members Monday night that the Allegan County Clerks Association Board of Directors met earlier Monday and appears to favor forming an Early Voting Center for the presidential primary next winter, the primary election in August and general election in November.
More than 60 percent of voters statewide approved a proposal to allow early voting, forcing local polls and voting access sites to be open to the public for nine days before the actual election. Township and municipal clerks have protested that the move will cost local government more money and wreak havoc on employee schedules.
Though a state senate bill recently permitted every municipality in each of the 83 counties to work together to absorb the duties and costs of the nine-day early voting period, Allegan County Clerk Bob Genetski announced last week that this county will not participate in a county-wide program.
Clausen, president of the Allegan County Clerks Association, indicated the county’s decision is leaving local clerks high and dry.
Clausen posted, “The county has opted out of assisting the local clerks on implementing the new early voting process. Clerks have three options — (1) Do nine days of early voting on your own. (2) Join forces with surrounding municipalities. (3) Enter into a county-wide agreement for an Early Voting Center for the nine days of early voting.
“Preliminary numbers for going alone for all elections in 2024 plus start-up costs would be approximately $38,965. Preliminary numbers if we were to enter into a county-wide agreement and shared costs with participating municipalities would be approximately $6,104 (for the City of Wayland).
Clausen told City Council members the four clerks’ agreement, if approved, “will be better than going it alone.”
She added about Genetski’s non-participation decision, “He has every prerogative to do what he’s doing.”
State Rep. Rachelle Smit of Martin, who attended the meeting, added, “I do feel there will be some tweaks (of of new law) that will need to be made.”
She noted the next election will be the presidential primary, that tentatively will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 27.
