In Orion Township

By Don Rush

New election laws were enacted to accommodate the voter-approved Proposal 2 from last November’s General Election. One of the changes to the Michigan Constitution mandates a minimum of nine days early voting. This process is only applicable for the nine days of early voting. Election day and absentee ballots remain local.

To make this easier on local clerks, Oakland County Elections Division is proposing interlocal agreements and having communities join together as a cost saving endeavor and uniformity throughout the county. This is an option in the state constitution and state law. Oxford, Addison and Orion township have entered into such an agreement.

“Proposal 2022-2 increased the responsibilities of clerks statewide when conducting an election,” Oxford Township Clerk Curtis Wright said. “One of the provisions of Proposal 2022-2, which is now Michigan Constitutional law, is the allowance for a registered Michigan voter a minimum nine days to vote in all future elections. Because of several factors involved, including but limited to finding suitable location and cost, to accomplish this nine day early voting option, Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown has agreed to have regional voting locations which will allow neighboring communities to have a single location in each region to accommodate the voter who wants to take advantage of voting up to nine days early.”

Oakland County will provide equipment, such as electronic poll books, scanners, writers and ballots on demand. Each community will need to purchase, at the very least, a new scanner, a new touch writer, electronic poll book, with ballot on demand if providing the nine day early voting option in their respective municipality which is more expensive.

“Not all Counties are offering this type of support,” Addison Township Clerk Pauline Bennett said. “I’m thankful to Oakland County Clerk (Brown) and the County Election Team for being proactive in offering early voting regionally. Our board supported (the agreement) as it seems fiscally responsible to hold the nine days of early voting with our neighbors through an interlocal agreement versus purchasing new equipment and staffing on our own.”

Bennett said a notice will be mailed to all registered voters with the location/address of the early voting location. “For our residents, Election Day voting and issuing/receiving absentee ballots will still remain in Addison Township.”

According to Wright, the county will provide one-year agreements for each municipality’s consideration of approval. “The township could opt-out of the agreement in the future if not working for the community and conduct their own nine-day early voting process,” he said, adding, “We’ve had our first meeting. The county proposes to have Addison Township, Oxford Township and Orion Township (including the Villages of Lake Orion, Leonard, and Oxford) together as an early voting site. As of this week, the Orion Township Hall is the proposed site to host the early voting period. Oakland County Elections Division may propose up to 18 voting sites throughout the county and one at the county complex.”

According to the clerks, each community will be responsible for reimbursing the county for election inspectors, most likely two per day instead of four. Also, each community’s clerks or deputy clerks will need to be available for calls or on site for two or three days out of the nine. Oakland County will provide training and the election inspectors. Oakland County, they said, may advertise early voting throughout the county and provide local communities with the same public notices to create uniformity throughout the county.

“This saves on overtime for township staff and working 10 plus hour days for nine consecutive days prior to the election.” Bennett said. “This allows the township to be as involved as we want to be.”

As of presstime, the next election for both Addison and Oxford townships is the 2024 Presidential Primary Election, slated for Feb. 27, 2024.