A Message from the Michigan Deputy Clerk

Absentee Voting Reality

Posted to Facebook and Our Website with Permission of the Michigan Deputy Clerk

​I'm going to put this out there for my Michigan peeps as someone who
actually works in a clerk's office,  in hopes of educating people. I've
posted before,  but feel it needs to be reiterated :-)

First off, clerk's offices and election workers MUST have representation
from both Republican and Democratic parties.  So for all of those saying
that either party is going to attempt to "fix" the election,  that would
be pretty impossible IMHO. Both sides want a fair run.

Please remember that all that is being sent out to voters are absentee
applications - ballots DO NOT get sent out without a returned
application!  First off,  if you sign and return your application,  your
signature is matched (along with your birthdate and address) to the
Qualified Voter File from when you registered.   If ANY of the that
doesn't match,  you are contacted - if it is your signature that doesn't
match, you will be asked to come in with ID to verify it was you who
filled it out.  Only then is it processed, and a ballot issued.  Then,
when you return your ballot,  your info and signature are verified once
again on your ballot return envelope.   If it doesn't match, you are
contacted and must come in with ID before it will be accepted.

Are people still registered that are no longer at that address?  Of
course,  because it is the resident's responsibility to inform the SOS
or their clerk's office if they are no longer in that jurisdiction or
they need to register in their new one.  If for instance,  a 92yo goes
into an assisted living facility,  doesn't renew their license,  still
owns their home but rents it,  they will more than likely get an
application at their home.  You people don't want the government
tracking you,  yet expect us to know every time you move from your mom's
basement to your buddy's and back 🤣

Do people get multiple applications for the same person? Possibly,
because political groups can request voter lists and send them out.  But
if you send in more than one,  our system will show that we've already
received one.... and only one can be processed.

Do ballots get lost in the mail? Of course!  Once it goes to the post
office,  it is out of our hands.   But our post office has been working
diligently and even did 3 deliveries to our office the day of the August
election.  They have nothing to gain by holding up mail, for any reason,
  especially when they have no idea how people are voting 🤦‍♀️

Can people have two ballots?  Yes, (though it is highly unlikely) but
only one can be counted.   For instance,  if someone requested an
absentee ballot,  says they didn't receive it, and comes in to their
clerk's office and requests a new one. That first one would be voided in
our system, so even if it suddenly appeared in their mail,  if they
tried to return it (or accidently returned the wrong one) it wouldn't be
counted.

Check with your local clerk,  they do a public testing of equipment
which shows you how the tabulators work. .   Absentee ballots are
tabulated EXACTLY as if you went in to the polls,  and not opened or
processed until election day.  It is simply a convenience for those who
are unable to get to the polls - for instance, the poll workers
themselves,  medical staff who work 12 hour shifts, police and fire who
work 24hr shifts,  people who are out of town,  people who don't drive,
senior citizens and the handicapped who may have difficulty standing in
line, those who work a great distance from their polling location, etc.,
etc..  I've voted absentee for the past 12 years because I work 14-20hrs
the day of elections. You people should be fighting to make election day
a holiday where all businesses and schools are closed so people can go
to the polls.... not everyone has that luxury.

Last November,  one of the council people won in our city by 3 votes.
A recount was done by the county,  and every single vote - absentee and
those at the polls - came out exactly the same.   As someone who proudly
works in a clerk's office,  trust me when I say all of us work in these
offices to provide people the opportunity to exercise their right to
vote,  no matter who it's for. None of us want to go to prison for voter
fraud, because NONE of the candidates are worth that 🤷‍♀️  And
guess what?  Our offices do a whole lot of other things besides
elections (our office does birth & death records, business licenses,
animal licenses, notary services, keeps all records of every meeting in
hard copy & digital, FOIA requests, boards & commissions, ordinances,
etc., etc.), so please, give us a break already with the nonsense!

I encourage people to apply to work the elections, many of your clerk's
offices DEFINITELY will need help!