Politics & Government

Need to Know: Changes to Absentee Voter Law

Voters must choose a specific partisan ballot in the upcoming presidential primary election.

 

The Feb. 28 presidential primary election in Michigan is more than five weeks away. Voters in Royal Oak who are 60 or older or are in a situation where they are unable to go to the polls must mail absentee ballots in advance.

Public Act 163 of 2011, enacted by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Snyder, determines the conduct of the presidential primary election.

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When requesting an absentee ballot, voters must now choose a partisan ballot. To not notice or to ignore this new requirement means that a new ballot request form must be sent in after the Clerk's office notifies the voter.

City Clerk Melanie Halas said so far Royal Oak voters are doing a good job of checking which party primary they wish to vote in on the application for Absent Voters Ballot.

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"If voters don't check a box indicating which party ballot they want, we have to contact them," Halas said. Voters who do not check a box must email their preference or put something in writing, she said. Another option is for the clerk's office to send the application back to the voter.

Voting absentee ballot

The City of Royal Oak's website lists the following information for voting absentee:

A separate absent voter ballot request must be submitted for each election. Download and print this form (in Adobe Acrobat format), fill it out and mail
it to the City Clerk. Click below to access the form:

Application for Absent Voters Ballot - Feb 28, 2012 Election

Absent voter ballots are available for all elections. You may vote with an absent voter ballot if:

  • you are unable to vote without assistance;
  • you are 60 years of age or older;
  • you expect to be absent from your city or township on election day;
  • you are in jail, awaiting arraignment or trial;
  • you have been assigned to work as a precinct worker in a precinct other than where you are registered; or
  • you are unable to attend the polls because of religious beliefs.

If any of these situations exist, you can obtain an absent voter ballot by writing to the clerk. You must state the reason why you need an absent voter ballot and you must sign the request. A pre-printed absent voter ballot application form is available above or from the city clerk upon request.

If you are temporarily outside the U.S., you can use a Federal Postcard Application to apply for an absent voter ballot. The FPCA must be signed under oath unless you, your spouse or your parents are serving in the armed forces or Merchant Marines.

Send the completed application to: Royal Oak City Clerk, 211 Williams St, PO Box 64, Royal Oak, Mi 48068-0064

If you want the ballot mailed, your application must be received by 2 p.m. the Saturday before the election. Make your request early to allow for delivery time.

A voter eligible to vote by absent voter ballot may also vote in person at the clerk’s office anytime up to 4 p.m. the day before the election.

All absent voter ballots must be received by the clerk’s office not later than 8 p.m. on election day.

Check here to use the Absentee Ballot Tracker. Oakland County's newest technology lets you track when the clerks office received your application, mailed out your ballot and received it back.


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