Michigan clerks are now accepting applications for absentee ballots ahead of the November election.
As part of the weekly series MichMash, public radio station WDET’s Jake Neher and MLive’s Cheyna Roth talk with voter rights advocate, Aghogho Edevbie, the Michigan State Director for All Voting is Local, about how voters can make sure their ballots are counted.
You can listen to Neher and Roth’s full conversation with Edevbie on the player above.
Right now there is quite a bit of uncertainty in the world about voting. State election officials are expecting absentee voting number to be high this year for a lot of reasons. One being that our laws have gotten more friendly towards absentee voting, but also because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There’s also uncertainty surrounding absentee voting due to new policies by the United States Postal Service and ongoing concerns about USPS’s ability to get mailed in ballots to clerks’ offices in time.
When it comes to voting, the number one thing people need to do is make a plan, said Edevbie.
Voters can now request their absentee ballot for the November election, and Edevbie said you’ll want to mail your ballot as quickly and efficiently as possible. Starting on Sept. 24, voters can also go to their clerk’s office and vote early by absentee ballot in person. You can also always vote in person on Election Day.
But whichever way you choose, you have to make sure that your ballot is in by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
“That is critical,” said Edevbie. “There’s no leeway on that. So voters should get their absentee ballots early and return them either by mail or preferably by a Dropbox.”
Poll workers will continue to play a critical role in this upcoming election, but there’s a concern that there won’t be enough poll workers to keep up with the scale of voters this election is likely to bring, in part because poll workers tend to be the population most at risk for COVID-19, the elderly.
“Poll workers are the bread and butter on the election process,” Edevbie said. “We really have to have them, not only to make sure that polling locations on Election Day are functioning well, but also that we have enough people to count the absentee ballots in a efficient and steady manner.”
Edevbie said the number one thing you can do if you’re concerned about the election is to sign up to be a poll worker.
There needs to be some changes to our state laws when it comes to voting, Edevbie said. Right now, bills in the state House would allow for ballots postmarked by the day of an election to be counted. Edevbie said he would also like to see legislation that allows clerk’s to open up absentee ballot envelopes, up to 24 hours ahead of time, and verify that the ballot is correct, then set it aside while still in the secrecy sleeve.
“It’s a very small change,” he said. “But it gives clerks a lot more time to get things done.”
More From MichMash:
MichMash: Welcome Back? College Students Anxious, Excited About Return to Campus
MichMash: Michigan’s methods for treating juveniles unique among states
MichMash: Campaigns try to reach people without touching them during coronavirus pandemic