Michigan Proposal 2 voting changes start with May 2 special elections

Mary Lowe, The Daily Telegram
·2 min read
19

ADRIAN — There are several changes voters will see during the May 2 special elections as a result of the passage of Proposal 2 in November of last year.

Here are a few of those items:

• Prepaid Postage: Proposal 2 requires state-funded postage for voters to return their absentee voter ballot applications and ballots.

• Ballot drop boxes: Proposal 2 requires that there be at least one state-funded absentee ballot drop box for every 15,000 registered voters in the jurisdiction.

• Permanent absentee voter ballot list: Voters may complete a single absentee voter application to receive an absentee ballot in all future elections by marking the option to join the permanent absentee voter ballot list.

Proposal 2 also provides voters the right to at least nine days of early, in-person voting for statewide and federal elections. For local elections, jurisdictions will have the option of providing early voting.

The implementation of early voting will require many changes to programming and equipment, updates to the state's voter registration system, and possible statutory requirements by the Michigan Legislature. The state has not developed the technical resources to support early voting for the May election, Lenawee County Clerk Roxann Holloway said in an email.

Clerks can start mailing out absentee voter applications as early as 75 days prior to the election. It is up to the local clerk. Most clerks wait until it is closer to the election. Absentee ballots must be available to voters no later than March 23 for the May 2 special election, Holloway said.

Lenawee County May 2 ballot issues

The following Lenawee County communities and school districts will have a May 2 special election:

  • Blissfield Community Schools: bond proposal for building and site purposes in an amount not to exceed $23.6 million.

  • Macon Township: trustee partial term ending Nov. 20, 2024.

  • Morenci Area Schools: operating millage renewal in the amount of 18 mills for 2023.

  • Palmyra Township: amendment to the zoning ordinance referendum.

  • Tecumseh District Library: library millage renewal.

“The Michigan Bureau of Elections is working hard and has begun the implementation of some of these changes for those local jurisdictions holding a special May election. There are still major elements of Proposal 2022-2 that are not ready for full implementation due to the need of the Legislature to fully executive them,” Holloway said. “Although this a big endeavor with more questions about how this will work than answers right now, our office, along with the local city and township clerks, will work hard together, making sure voters are taken care of and elections are safe and secure.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Michigan Proposal 2 voting rules begin with May 2 elections