Grand Rapids registered voters will soon receive an application to vote by mail. The City Clerk’s Office recently announced it would mail the applications over the next two weeks. This is just the application and voters still have to mail in or drop it off to the city to get their actual absentee ballot.
The bulk of Grand Rapids’ voters will soon get their absentee voter application in the mail. Grand Rapids City Clerk, Joel Hondorp says there are 23-thousand on their permanent list which have already been sent out and another 106-thousand are set to be mailed within days. Hondorp says while the state said it would mail applications to voters, he wanted the city to mail their own.
“A husband and wife, one gets our application and one gets the other, they’re both officials forms, but one’s a paper form. It’s easier for our staff just dealing with one kind of form.”
Hondorp says they are still preparing to open all 76 precincts which he says will have coronavirus safeguards. He also says if you vote absentee, it is good for both the August and November elections.
“This app is good for August 4 primary election, November 3 election or both. So, if you go to cottage in August and want to vote absentee but in person in November, you may. If you head south in November but want to vote in person in August, you may do that as well.”
Michigan voters in November of 2018 approved Proposal 3,which allows voters to cast an absentee ballot. And despite some pushback on the national front, Hondorp wants to make sure voters know it is a safe process.
“This is my 20th year as clerk, so I’ve run some elections. Absentee voting is secure and there are lots of safeguards in place.”
Voters can track the progress of their application and ballot online as well as check their voter registration status and find polling locations as well. Hondorp says you can find all the information you need on their website at grandrapidsmi.gov .
