Manchester asks where is my absentee ballot? Will my vote count if I vote by absentee ballot?
Last week, many Manchester residents checked their mailbox and wondered if their absentee ballot should have already arrived. Some residents had received theirs and others hadn’t. We reached out to the clerks of Manchester, Bridgewater, Sharon, and Freedom Townships to ask when their township’s residents should expect to receive requested absentee ballots.
Valisa Bristle, Freedom Township clerk stated, “I can say for Freedom Township, I mailed all the absent voter ballot requests I had received to date from the Manchester Post Office on Monday, Sept. 28th. I know some Freedom Township residents have received their ballot on Sept. 30 or Oct. 1 and some are still waiting for theirs to be delivered. As soon as I receive new absent voter ballot applications, I process the request and have the ballot mailed out the next day.”
Kimberley Potocki, Sharon Township clerk replied, “Absentee Ballots cannot be released or be sent out until 40 days prior to the election, which was September 24th. That being said, we have seen such a significant increase in numbers of AV Ballot requests that it’s been challenging to get all of those requests out. We are working diligently and making all efforts to answer AV Ballot requests in a timely manner but staffing has not increased as the number of ballot requests have.”
Tom Wharam, Bridgewater Township clerk answered, “Absentee ballots are mailed shortly after the absentee ballot application is received. Providing the voter returns their application to the township soon enough, either in person, by email or US mail, there should be plenty of time for us to mail the ballot to them.”
Danell Proctor, Manchester Township clerk stated, “All absentee ballot applications that I have received to date have been mailed.”
Bristle added that all voters can track their ballot on the state’s voter information center website at https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/Voter/Index .
Manchester area voters have also questioned whether an absentee ballot is less likely to be counted than an in-person vote due to tampering or poll-workers running out of time on election night.
Wharam explained what Bridgewater voters need to do to make sure their ballot is counted and addressed the fear of an absentee ballot vote not counting, “Once they vote, they need to return the voted absentee ballot by dropping it off during office hours, placing it in the locked drop box on the side of the Bridgewater Township hall or via US mail. Election tampering is very difficult since there are so many poll workers from differing political parties. The absentee ballots are handled by two poll workers from different political parties. There is no such thing as running out of time on election night since we are here until all of the ballots are counted and the results hand carried to the Washtenaw County Clerk in Ann Arbor.”
Bristle likewise explained what Freedom Township voters need to do, “Voters can mail their ballots back or they can use the locked drop box in front of the Freedom Town hall to return it. The drop box is available 24/7 and checked daily. Once the ballot has been received it is entered into the system and stored in a locked room for processing on election day.”
Potocki also addressed the fear of election tampering, “In terms of Election tampering, the State of Michigan has specific procedures/laws that govern the AV Ballot process. If voters follow instructions there should be no issues. In terms of ‘poll workers running out of time to count’, legally we cannot close our poll machines on Elections until all AV Ballots are counted– even if this occurs AFTER the In-Person Voting polls are closed. In Sharon Township, we are using an Absent Voter Count Board which only handles AV Ballots for the day of the Election. As we are expecting a higher than average turnout for in person voting as well as a significant increase in AV Ballots being issued, we felt this was the most expedient way to handle the coming situation within the State of Michigan Election Laws. I have heard that MANY other precincts are also using this available option for AV Ballots. Sharon Township is also utilizing a service called TrackMIBallot, which will allow voter to track their RETURN Ballot through the USPS Mail system all the way back to the precinct.”
Potocki directed all voters to The State of Michigan’s Voter Information Center set up on their website to assist voters in checking details related to voting: www.michigan.gov/vote
Still have questions about your absentee ballot? Contact your Township clerk:
BRIDGEWATER TOWNSHIP, 517-315-7545, Tom Wharam: bridgewatertwpclerk@yahoo.com
FREEDOM TOWNSHIP, 734-428-7545 ext.2, Valisa Bristle: vlbristle@yahoo.com
MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, 734-428-7090, Danell Proctor: mtwp_clerk@sbcglobal.net
SHARON TOWNSHIP, 734-428-7591, Kimberly Potocki: sharontownshipclerk@gmail.com
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