Voter registration deadline Oct. 9
Election Day is approaching and students from Michigan need to register by Oct. 9 in order to be eligible to vote.
Mount Pleasant residents who will be at least 18 years-old on Election Day, Nov. 6, should get in contact with the Isabella County Clerk at 989-772-0911 or, visit a Secretary of State office to receive a voter registration application or go online at www.michigan.gov/sos to download an application.
Michigan residents from out of town who will be at least 18 by Election Day should get in contact with their local city, township or county clerk to register, visit a local Secretary of State office or download the application online. Registering through voter registration drives works as well.
After completing the application, first-time voters who send their application in by mail must either enter their driver's license number on the application form or send a photocopy of a driver's license, state ID card, utility bill, bank document, government document or a paycheck stub. If submitted in person at a Secretary of State office or at a clerk's office, nothing else must be done.
First-time voters who submit the application by mail, however, must vote in person at their polling place. Those who submit their voter application in person can still vote through an absentee ballot.
After handing in or sending the application, a voter registration card will be sent with information on where to vote.
On Election Day, voters will be asked to show photo ID. According to the Secretary of State's website, "acceptable photo ID" includes drivers licenses, school IDs and U.S. passports.
If a voter has no photo ID or forgets to bring it, registered voters can sign an affidavit in order to vote.
Citizens who are unsure if they are registered to vote can visit www.michigan.gov/vote to find out. Sample ballots, polling locations and campaign finance information can be found there as well.
Out of state residents who have not registered in their home state can still sign up to vote in Michigan for the presidential election.
“You have to show a current ID at the polls when you go to vote, and when you register, Michigan Secretary of State offices will notify your home state offices to let them know you are in Michigan for voting," Mount Pleasant Deputy City Clerk Sue Jones said. "That way, you cannot vote twice in one day. You may also want to check with your home Secretary of State office so it does not affect your drivers license.”
Students who are unable to go home to vote may apply for an absentee ballot.
To register for an absentee ballot, voters need to get in contact with their local clerk's office. If approved, an application will be sent through the mail.
After sending the absentee ballot application back, all the voter needs to do is wait for the ballot to be sent to them. All applications must be sent back to the clerk's office by Nov. 3 at 2 p.m. and the ballot must be received by the clerk's office by 8 p.m. on Election Day to count.
Voter registration and absentee ballot deadlines and rules vary by state, so voters from out-of-state who wish to vote in their state's elections must check with their state's Secretary of State for information.
