Important Absentee Voter Info

Image: City Clerk Marie Wicks, courtesy City of East Lansing

The Office of the City Clerk will be open extra hours, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday, October 31, for people who need absentee ballots for next Tuesday’s East Lansing City Council election. You can go in on Saturday to cast an absentee ballot if you cannot vote next Tuesday.

The Clerk’s office will also be open as usual this Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday, November 2, is the last day voters can obtain an absentee ballot. According to City Clerk Marie Wicks, if you pick up your ballot on Monday, “The ballot must be voted at City Hall (voter cannot leave with the ballot) and the deadline is 4:00 pm.”

Wicks says, “Voters may be assured to know that AV [absentee voter] ballots are tabulated in the Emergency Operations Center in City Hall by a balanced team of Republicans and Democrats as required by law. This ‘AV Counting Board’ is also sequestered until work is concluded. I mention this because some voters believe that AV ballots are only counted in the case of tie or close race. This is not the case and in fact I vote AV.”

She adds, “It is a solid, secure process. Voters can actually track the status of their ballots much like one would track a parcel being sent. This tracking mechanism is also required by law.”

The City Clerk’s office is just inside the main door of City Hall on Abbot Road. When you enter the inside doors, turn right immediately and go to the window marked “City Clerk.” The meters in City Hall's lot that face Abbot Road have a 30-minute-free option (just push the button), but it's never a bad idea to bring coins with you when you drive to City Hall, just in case the 30-minutes-free meters are taken. There's a bike rack out front.

Update: The City now has a new absentee voter ballot receptacle. It is in the City Hall parking lot and, according to the City, is secure for dropping off your absentee ballot.