OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — The Ottawa County Clerk's Office announced it will not continue contracting local clerks for the management of early voting precincts in the upcoming 2026 election cycle, a decision driven primarily by disappointing voter turnout rates.
In a recent statement, officials highlighted that under the county-managed early voting structure, turnout was significantly lower, with Ottawa County reporting just 13% participation. In contrast, neighboring Allegan County achieved a turnout of 24%, while Kent County's rate stood at 18%. This pattern is not unique to Ottawa County; other jurisdictions with county-managed voting centers have also experienced similar declines in voter participation compared to locally-run early voting precincts.
"Returning to locally-run early voting sites means more voting locations closer to home for our voters," said County Clerk Justin Roebuck.
In addition to turnout issues, the Clerk's Office reported that the previous model was costly and time-consuming. An estimated 2,000 unpaid overtime hours were accrued by salaried staff during the early voting process in 2024, which the office deemed unsustainable. Future contracts would likely incur significant additional expenses if the county maintained responsibility for managing early voting precincts.
Despite stepping back from direct management, the Ottawa County Clerk's Office explains that it will remain actively involved in the early voting process. The office will continue to oversee critical functions such as programming and testing early voting equipment, training and recruiting election workers, troubleshooting equipment issues, and facilitating state grant processes for all jurisdictions within the county.
"I am very proud of our team and of our collaborative Early Voting experiment in 2024, which had many successes," Roebuck added. "I believe now that we have seen the data, that this change will allow for greater access for voters, closer to home, and will also contribute to a higher engagement for the future of Early Voting."
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