Publisher’s Porch: Meet Me at the Ballot Box

There are plenty of things we can disagree about.

Candidates. Political parties. Ballot proposals. Which direction our communities, our state and our country should go.

But here’s one thing I hope we can agree on: if you’re eligible to vote, use that right.

Election Day is Nov. 3, but in Michigan, Election Day isn’t your only opportunity to cast a ballot anymore. In fact, for many people, voting has already started.

If you’ve received an absentee ballot, there’s no reason to let it sit on the kitchen counter until the last minute. Fill it out, make sure you sign the envelope and get it on its way back to your local clerk. You can return it by mail, take it directly to your clerk’s office or use a secure ballot drop box in your community.

MichiganVoting.org recommends mailing completed absentee ballots by Oct. 20 to avoid possible postal delays. After that, returning your ballot directly to your clerk or an authorized drop box is the safer bet. Your clerk generally must receive your ballot by 8 p.m. on Election Day for it to count. 

And if you prefer the traditional experience of walking in and feeding your ballot into the tabulator yourself, you don’t have to wait until Nov. 3.

Michigan’s nine-day statewide early voting period begins Saturday, Oct. 24, and continues through Sunday, Nov. 1. Some communities offer even more days. Early voting works much like Election Day voting: you go to an early-voting site, receive your ballot, fill it out and put it into a tabulator.

Before you go, take a few minutes to make sure you’re ready. Check your voter registration. Look at a sample ballot. Find your early-voting location or Election Day polling place. If you’re voting absentee, you can even track your ballot to make sure your clerk received it.

MichiganVoting.org and Michigan.gov/Vote are good places to start.

I’m not going to use this space to tell you who deserves your vote this week. I will tell you who I am voting for and why as we get closer to the election, but ultimately, that decision belongs to you.

Read. Ask questions. Look beyond the commercials and Facebook posts. Learn about the candidates and issues on your ballot and make up your own mind.

Then vote.

By mail. At a drop box. Early in person. Or at your polling place on Election Day.

However you choose to do it, just make sure you do. I will see you back here on the porch next week.