With the May Special Election now behind us, it is time to shift our focus squarely on the August Primary and November General Elections.   The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic will exist long after the immediate danger has passed. Even if we are allowed to go back to work, health experts caution that we should not congregate in large groups […]

Contrary to President Trump’s claims, voting by mail is safe and secure.  Republicans and Democrats support absentee voting as evidenced by members of both parties and both state parties mailing voters applications for absent voter ballots.  This is not and should never be a partisan issue. During a press briefing, President Trump told a reporter that voting by mail was […]

May Special Election to be a mail election as a result of COVID-19. Yesterday morning, the Office of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson issued a news release that her office will mail an application for an absent voter ballot to all qualified registered voters who have a May Special Election.  Michigan Law requires that voters submit a written request […]

Super Tuesday is coming up and so is the Michigan March 10th Presidential Primary Election! What happens if my candidate dropped out of the race for president? The list of candidates for the March 10th Presidential Primary was finalized on December 13, 2019 and ballots for this election went to print by mid-January.  If you see your candidate on your […]

With the passage of Proposal 3 in 2018, and 2020 being a Presidential Election Year, there has been increased attention on absentee voting, and, as a result, there are more questions from those first-time and seasoned voters as well as from campaigns and the media.   First, the envelopes that absentee ballots, directions, return envelopes and secrecy sleeves have changed so […]

After the Iowa Caucus disaster last week, I received many calls inquiring how we (Michigan election officials) were going to make sure Michigan’s primary election does not turn into an Iowa-level debacle. While there are many things that set Michigan apart from Iowa, at its core, the main reason this will not happen in Michigan is simple: Michigan has professionals […]

We’re only a strong as our weakest link Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential Election put a light on election security, a spotlight that is intensifying as the 2020 elections approach. Over 1,500 Michigan election officials have been focusing on election security long before the news reports and extra scrutiny. This is evidenced by the Michigan decentralized process, continued use […]

Editor’s note: Since they took control of the state government in 2010, Republicans in our state legislature and executive branch have made voting for students unnecessarily difficult and complex. That’s a feature for them, not a bug. I asked Barb to explain the process so that students living in Michigan have all of the facts on how they can vote […]

With the passage of Proposal 3 in 2018, Michigan is seeing a significant increase in voters taking advantage of voting by absent voter ballots. In Ingham County, we have held three elections under the new law, and now know firsthand of the need for updates in Michigan Election Law and Bureau of Elections’ promulgated rules and required procedures as a […]

With the March 2020 Presidential Primary Election right around the corner, county, city, and township clerks are making preparations. We are also seeing an increase in voters utilizing the opportunity to vote via absent voter (AV) ballot (also known in some states as “Vote at Home”) since the passage of Proposal 3 in 2018. Local clerks are sending out Absent […]