With election day now less than four weeks away, Kent County Clerk Lisa Posthumus Lyons announced this week her office’s Kent County Votes, a voter education effort which offers county voters information resources “to vote safely and securely up to and on November 3rd.”
Part of that effort is a public service announcement recorded at WKTV Community Media, as well as radio and digital advertisements, and upcoming tele-townhall events will provide voters the opportunity to ask questions of Kent County election administrators.
The effort also includes a redesign of the Kent County Elections website, now accessible via KentCountyVotes.com.
“Your right to vote is sacred, and so is your right to safety,” Posthumus Lyons said in supplied material and the WKTV video. “In Kent County we take both very seriously. COVID-19 has disrupted a lot this year, but it won’t disrupt this fall’s election.”
Four tips for voters
According to a statement from the clerk’s office, there are four aspects of the Nov. 3 election voters should be aware of:
Whether voters cast their ballots in-person at the polls or cast an absentee ballot, their vote will be counted this year. Clerks across the county are busy modifying polling places to adhere to CDC safety and social distancing guidelines as well. It will be safe to vote in person. Polling locations can be found at kentcountyvotes.com.
Recent election law changes make registering and voting easier than ever before. Every registered voter now has the right to vote absentee without needing an excuse. Also, citizens can register right up to and even on election day at their local clerk’s office, and still cast their ballot. However, it is highly encouraged to register before election day.
The new State of Michigan Absentee Ballot return envelope. (WKTV)
Those choosing to vote absentee have three options for returning their ballots: hand deliver a completed ballot to your city or township clerk’s office; return the ballot by mail, but plan accordingly by mailing the ballot back at least 7-10 before Election Day; or drop your ballot off in a designated secure drop box in the city or township where the voter is registered. Drop box locations can be found at kentcountyvotes.com.
Posthumus also reminds voters to “be patient when it’s time for results … The Clerk’s office expects a larger-than-ever number of absentee ballots, which might mean waiting a little longer for results. Kent County election officials will work as quickly as possible to report complete and accurate election results.”
It took exactly one day for opposition to come rolling in after Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced May 19 that all registered voters in Michigan will receive an application to vote by absentee ballot in the August and November elections.
“By mailing applications, we have ensured that no Michigander has to choose between their health and their right to vote,” Benson said in a statement from her office. “Voting by mail is easy, convenient, safe, and secure, and every voter in Michigan has the right to do it.”
According to the Secretary’s office, of the 7.7 million registered voters in the state, about 1.3 million are on the permanent absent voter list, and their local election clerk mails them applications ahead of every election.
“Additionally, some jurisdictions are mailing applications to all local registered voters,” according to the Secretary’s statement. “The Michigan Department of State’s Bureau of Elections has ensured all remaining registered voters receive an application.”
But ranging from two Wednesday, May 20, Tweets from President Donald J. Trump, to a statement to WKTV from Kent County Clerk/Register Lisa Posthumus Lyons — both Republicans — not everyone agrees with the Democrat Secretary of State’s action.
“My office was not consulted nor had any knowledge that the Secretary of State would be violating the law by sending unsolicited ballot applications,” Lyons said to WKTV. “We support conducting elections according to the constitution and Michigan law, and this practice is unconstitutional.”
A Twitter back and forth
On his official @realDonaldTrump Twitter account, the President today said: “Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election. This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!”
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson
Secretary Benson, responding to the President’s May 20 Tweet, Tweeted herself: “Hi! I also have a name, it’s Jocelyn Benson. And we sent applications, not ballots. Just like my GOP colleagues in Iowa, Georgia, Nebraska and West Virginia.”
After Secretary Benson responded, the President’s original Tweet was deleted and another posted which corrected the original by saying “Michigan sends absentee ballot applications to 7.7 million people …”.
Secretary Benson also defended her action in her original, May 19, statement.
“We appreciate that some clerks are proactively protecting public health by mailing applications to all their registered voters, and we are fulfilling our responsibility to provide all voters equal access,” Benson said in the statement. “We know from the elections that took place this month that during the pandemic Michiganders want to safely vote.”
Mostly absentee May voting set records
According to the Secretary’s statement, record-breaking turnout was recorded in the approximately 50 elections held across 33 counties on May 5, with nearly 25 percent of eligible voters casting ballots and 99 percent of them doing so by mail or in a drop box.
In contrast, from 2010 to 2019, average turnout in local elections in May was 12 percent.
The absentee ballot application mailing from the Bureau of Elections includes a cover letter with instructions from Secretary Benson, according to the statement. Once a voter signs their application, they can mail it or email a photo of it to their local clerk, whose contact information is included on the application. The application is also available for download at Michigan.gov/Vote. At the same website, voters can also register and join the permanent absent voter list so they always have the option to vote by mail.
“The vast majority of voters across the political spectrum want the option to vote by mail,” Benson said in the statement. “Mailing applications to all registered voters is one of the ways that we are ensuring Michigan’s elections will continue to be safe, accurate and secure.”
May ballot was a unique voting process
After an executive order by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the May 5 voting was conducted using a hybrid system of encouraging absentee voting, either by mail or by dropping of absentee ballots, and having only a few vote-in-person sites. The Wyoming and Kentwood city clerk’s offices were the only locations to vote in person in the cities on May 5.
While Kent County election officials, and the city clerks of both Wyoming and Kentwood, abided by the state mandate in May, Kent County Clerk Lyons said her office will conduct the August and November elections by current laws — unless there is another executive order by the Governor.
“Until the legislature changes the law or the Governor issues an executive order, we are preparing to run the August and November elections as a normal — with in-person and absentee voting options available,” Lyons said to WKTV. “We will also continue to work with our local clerks to protect the health and safety of election workers and voters while preserving the security and integrity of the election.”
