Why Michigan Voters May Not Get Absentee Ballots

Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson said some voters may be waiting for an absentee ballot that will never come. (Photo via Shutterstock)

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Secretary of State Ruth Johnson is asking voters who used a third-party online absentee ballot application not sanctioned by the state to double-check the status of their request to ensure they will receive and can cast a ballot.

A state review of miabsentee.com, a privately run website that went live nine weeks before the November general election without testing or approval of state election officials, found that more than a quarter of applications in a sampling had not been received by the local clerk. Clerks reported they were not always able to verify signatures from a mobile phone to those on file and a state technology expert also raised security concerns.

Johnson said voters should use the Michigan Voter Information Center at www.michigan.gov/vote to confirm whether or not their local clerk received their request for an absentee ballot. Voters can also check with their local clerk.

“My top priority is making sure every eligible voter has the opportunity to cast a ballot this November, ” Johnson said. “We could have voters waiting for an absentee ballot that will never come. No one should be disenfranchised.”

Voters may request an absentee ballot if they are:

• age 60 years old or older;
• unable to vote without assistance at the polls;
• expecting to be out of town on Election Day;
• in jail awaiting arraignment or trial;
• unable to attend the polls due to religious reasons; or
• appointed to work as an election inspector in a precinct outside of their precinct of residence.

Voters may contact their local clerk to request an absentee ballot. A link to the state’s absentee ballot application can be found at www.michigan.gov/vote, including a link to What You Need to Know About Absentee Voting. The application can be printed, filled out and signed, then mailed or dropped off at a local clerk’s office. This is the most secure and effective way to request and submit the absentee ballot application, Johnson added.

The state’s online Voter Information Center also allows voters to verify if they are registered to vote, find their polling location, contact their local clerk, view a sample ballot and track their absentee ballot.