LANSING, Mich. — If you're waiting for an absentee ballot, check your mailbox this week. People will start getting ballots in the coming days, and if this is your first time filling one out, here's everything you need to know.
“They’ll get their absentee ballot in the mail– it’ll look like this," said Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum. "You’ll open it up and inside that envelope there will be another envelope.”
Inside that envelope is your ballot and the secrecy sleeve.
“This is your ballot, and it is both sides.. Ingham County has a two-sided one page ballot, so look at both sides and make sure you vote the entire ballot, if you so choose," she said.
Need help filling out your ballot? It’s out there.
“You may certainly ask for assistance filling out the ballot," Byrum said. "If you’re at the polling location, a Democrat and a Republican will assist you. If you’re at home, you can certainly ask a trusted family member or friend to assist you. They will have to disclose their assistance on the outside of the envelope as well.”
And be mindful how you’re filling out the ballot as well.
“Please do not use crayons, do not use pencils, the preferred ballot marking device is in fact a Sharpie, but if you have a blue pen or a black pen, that is sufficient as well," she said.
Now, it’s time to submit your absentee ballot.
“This green and white envelope is what the voter will return the voted ballot in," she said. "Make sure they sign the envelope right here as well because the signatures will be matched by the local clerk or their staff before it is indexed in, secured and weighted until election day.”
What if you got an absentee ballot and you want to vote in person? Take your absentee ballot with you and present it to one of the poll workers. They’ll void it so you can vote in person.
