by Mary Lou Nieuwenhuis, Leighton Township Clerk
First, I am neither an advocate for or against the issue. My mission is to provide some clarification for voters. It is up to you to decide what is right for you in the August primary and November general elections.
In November 2018, voters approved Proposal 18-3, which provided for “No Reason Absentee Voting.” Prior to that, voters had to qualify by meeting one of six criteria. Now absentee voting is available to EVERY voter in Michigan.
The process is simple, make a request of your local clerk. Prior to receiving the ballot, you must fill out an absent voter ballot application. When you vote in person, you fill out an application and that also applies to absentee voting.
If you wish to be placed on your local Permanent Absentee list, you can request that from your clerk. It does not mean that you are automatically sent a ballot. NO ONE JUST GETS A BALLOT SENT TO THEM. It means that you will automatically be sent the application which you must return in order to get a ballot. This information is entered into the Michigan Qualified Voter File (QVF) and all voters can track their ballot activity on the Michigan Voter Information Center (MVIC) all the way through the process.
Once your local clerk has the ballots, usually 45 days prior to an election, and has received your application, you will be mailed a ballot..
Convenience is the biggest reason people vote absentee. You can get the ballot far ahead of the election, avoid lines in the polling place, and vote leisurely in your own home using voter guides and campaign material you have received. And, of course, during this election cycle, you can vote safely without possible contact with the COVID-19 virus. Every ballot comes with simple voting instructions.
The absentee ballot is EXACTLY the same as the ballot you would vote in the precinct. The only difference is that you will be voting at home and your ballot will be processed by an Absent Voter Counting Board instead of you placing it in the tabulator. After you finish voting, you seal up the ballot and sign your name in the spot provided.
This is very important. When the clerk receives your voted ballot, your signature is verified with the signature we have on file to prevent the possibility of fraud. If your ballot is received without a signature, every attempt will be made to get that signature. If we are unable to obtain your signature, the ballot will be rejected and will not count.
Ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. on election day. Ballots received after that time will be rejected and will not count. It is imperative that ballots are mailed giving the postal service enough time to deliver them. They can also be returned in person and most offices have drop boxes that can be accessed at any time.
One other reason a ballot would not be counted is if a voter returns his/her ballot and we have knowledge that they become deceased before the election.
Once your ballot has been returned to the local clerk, that information is again entered into the QVF for you to track. Ballots remain sealed and securely held until election day when they are processed by the Absent Voter Counting Board. Strict reporting confirms ballots sent, ballots returned and ballots tabulated.
Voting by absentee ballot is 100% safe and secure, but you must do your part by following the instructions provided and returning it in a timely manner.
The choice is still yours. Request an absentee ballot or vote in erson.
Thanks for the clarification. The process seems very secure.
Excellent. Hopefully, anyone with further concerns will call their county, township, city or village clerk.
Thanks again
Thank you for the clarification. Now I see the process for applying and getting an absentee ballot. Once the ballot is completed, signed, and returned in time to be counted is the normal procedure and I understand that.
I have questions in the process as described by Ms. Nieuwenhuis.
1) How is it determined a voter on the qualified voter file is actually a U.S. citizen?
I presume a birth certificate?
2) What training in handwriting comparison does each township clerk receive in determining a valid signature on the ballot?
3) And most importantly, how does the clerk know who completed the ballot? The signature could be valid and someone else completed the voting for candidates/initiatives on the ballot.
Folks, I’m sure 99.999% of the absentee ballots are correctly filled out and signed by the actual voter. But there is nothing to confirm that… we are taking a lot for granted. At the polls, you are viewed by poll workers that you fill out the ballot. In an absentee ballot, there is no such assurance. I’ll say it – an absentee ballot can be bought by an unscrupulous person and a willing voter.
This is not a fool-proof system.
Sir.
It’s been five years since I was heavily involved in the elections.
But till Mary Lou or another current clerk answers and corrects me due to new changes I may not be aware of:
A qualified voter in a remote way uses their birth certificate. One also signs when they first check in that they are United States citizens and can vote. Violation is a felony.
Lately when one gets their driver’s license they are registered to vote.That’s the big fuss about some states wanting to give drivers licenses to illegal immigrants.
There to my knowledge has never been any hand writing training… again, signing the application to receive a ballot you are swearing you are able to legally vote.
The clerk knows if someone else helped fill out the ballot since that has to be noted on the envelope just as if someone is returning the ballot and not a family member.
Your last question is the one where it is possible to vote for your grandfather because you are helping him. But that could also happen in voting at a polling place.
Sir /Ms this is what is very sadly disturbing when you work elections. Voters coming in with lists of candidates to vote for that have or have not been mailed to them by a particular group. We poll workers have no way of knowing if they have been paid to vote a certain way or not. We can only make sure they do not leave the list.
Sadly, the truth is voting can never be 100% fraud free. Just like everything else in the world. There is some who will find a way to adjust the outcome.
That being said… we in the United States have the best and most corrupt-free voting in the world