Election Department

Important Election Dates:

GENERAL ELECTION:

November 5, 2024 7AM – 8PM POWELL TOWNSHIP HALL, 101 BENSINGER STREET BIG BAY MI 49808

10.21.2024 Last day to register in any manner other than in-person with the local clerk for the November 6, 2024 General Election.

10.21.2024 Public Accuracy Test. 11:00 am Powell Township Hall

10.22.2024 In-person registration begins with local clerk with proof of residency until election day.

10.25.2024 Write-In Candidate’s Declaration of Intent form due to filing official [Powell Township Clerk] by 4:00 pm.

10.26.2024 First day of in-person early voting at the Marquette Township Hall. Early voting polls are open 8:00 am – 4:00 pm.

11.01.2024 By 5pm. Electors may obtain an absent voter ballot via First Class mail.

11.01.2024 By 5pm. Voters may submit written request to spoil their absent voter ballot and receive a new ballot by mail.

11.01.2024 By 4pm. Electors who have lost their absent voter ballot or not yet received their ballot in the mail may submit a written request in person to spoil their absent voter ballot and receive a new ballot in the clerk’s office

11.03.2024 By 4pm. Last day of in-person early voting at the Marquette Township Hall. Early voting polls are open 8:00 am – 4:00 pm.

11.04.2024 By 4pm. Electors may obtain absent voter ballot in person in the clerk’s office.

11.04.2024 By 4pm. Electors who have returned their absent voter ballot may submit a written request in person to spoil their absent voter ballot and receive a new ballot in the clerk’s office.

11.05.2024 By 8pm. Election Day registrants may obtain and vote an absent voter ballot in person in the local clerk’s office with proof of residency or vote in person in the proper precinct.

Early Voting

In November 2022, Michigan voters approved a constitutional amendment that gives voters the right to vote early and in person at early voting sites at least 9 consecutive days before statewide and federal elections, beginning on the second Saturday before the election and ending on the Sunday before the election.

Early voting allows a voter to cast a ballot before Election Day, in an experience similar to voting on Election Day. During the early voting period, voters are issued a ballot and can then insert their ballot directly into a tabulator at their early voting site.

If you choose to vote early in-person prior to the November 5, 2024 General Election date, you may now do so at the Powell Township Early Voting Election Site located at the Marquette Township Hall, 1000 Commerce Dr, Marquette, MI 49855. Early voting hours will be from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm October 26 – November 3, 2024.

Questions: Please contact the Powell Township Clerk’s office at (906)-345-9345 ext. #12, email clerk@powelltownship.org, visit the Powell Township office during business hours or visit the Michigan Secretary of State at

https://www.michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/early-in-person-voting.

Click HERE for the list of early voting sites in Marquette County

Registration

Registration to vote is easy. Most Registration is done with the DMV when your address is changed on your drivers license or when renewal of your license is done. Voters can register with the DMV up to 14 days prior to the election. At that cutoff to be able to register to vote in your jurisdiction you must come to your local Clerk to register to vote, in person or by mail up to the day of election where you will be either sent an Voter ID card in the mailing address provided or in-person. On the day of Election, proof of residency is needed for registration and ballot to count. Without proof of residency, you will be registered to vote for the next election.

Powell Township is oddly shaped and there are cases of residents that are closer to Big Bay, that have mailing addresses to Big Bay, but are in other voting jurisdictions. County Road 550 is notorious for weaving into other jurisdictions. The street index between the jurisdictions should be complete, but there are cases where voters in the same house might be registered to vote in separate jurisdictions. The Township Clerk works with the other voting jurisdictions, the Powell Township Zoning Admin, and with the Secretary of State’s Voter Registration Team to correct any discrepancies.

Special Hours for the Powell Township Clerks Office are the Saturday prior to the election 9am – 5pm (these will be posted in the paper with all of Marquette County)

Permanent Mail Ballot List

What is the Permanent Mail Ballot List?

The “Permanent Mail Ballot List” is a list of voters who have signed up to receive an absentee ballot before each election. Previously, Michigan voters could sign up to receive an absentee ballot application before each election. The new “Permanent Mail Ballot List” allows voters to sign up to receive a ballot before every election, eliminating the need to submit a new application each time.

Who is the Permanent Mail Ballot List for?

Any Michigan voter can join the Permanent Mail Ballot List. However, the list is best suited for voters who wish to vote from home in every election and who generally receive their absentee ballot at the same address for each election. Voters who wish to vote from home in every election, but who may not be at the same address for each election–snowbirds, for example–can also join the list, but they must remember to update their mailing address with their local clerk as necessary.

How do I sign up for the Permanent Mail Ballot List?

You can join the Permanent Mail Ballot List when you apply for an absentee ballot for an upcoming election, whether online, by mail, or in-person. Just check the box next to “automatically send me an absent voter ballot for each future election for which I’m eligible.”

How do I check to see whether I’m already on the Permanent Mail Ballot List?

Voters were not able to sign up for the list until May 2023. If you think you signed up for the list in May 2023 or after, please contact the Powell Township Clerk’s Office. You can also visit www.michigan.gov/vote to check your status and sign up to be on the list.

If I’m on the Permanent Mail Ballot List, will I also receive a ballot for the presidential primary?

Yes, but you will need to select which ballot you want to receive in advance of the primary.

Any Michigan voter can participate in the presidential primary, but to do so they must choose which ballot they’d like to receive (for example, a Republican ballot or a Democratic ballot), whether in person at the polls or in advance of receiving their absentee ballot.

If you join the Permanent Mail Ballot List at the same time as you apply for your ballot (and select which ballot you’d like to receive) for the presidential primary, you’re all set–no additional action needs to be taken until the next presidential primary election in 2028. If you’re already on the Permanent Mail Ballot List and you haven’t yet selected a ballot for the presidential primary, your local clerk will send you a notice about two months before the election asking you to select a ballot. We encourage you to promptly respond to that notice.

What happens if I move after joining the Permanent Mail Ballot List?

If you move within the state of Michigan and update your address with the state, you will remain on the list. However, if you move outside of the state of Michigan or you move within the state but do not update your voter registration address, you will be removed from the list.

What if I sign up for the list and then change my mind?

You can remove yourself from the list at any time by submitting a signed request for removal to your local clerk. You will also be removed from the list if you relocate to another state or move within Michigan without updating your voter registration address, if you do not cast a ballot for six consecutive years, or if you are not currently eligible to vote (for example, if you are serving a sentence).

Returning Ballots

Options to return Absent Voter ballots include by mail, in person, or in Township locked drop box.

Return mailing address is included on the AV ballot. PO Box 319 Big Bay, MI 49808

One can return Absent Voter ballots in person and in the drop box up to the day of Election to the Clerk or Deputy Clerk. The location for the drop box is outside the Township Offices at 101 Bensinger St Big Bay, MI 49808

Election Workers Needed

Powell Township has had an experienced crew to work the elections but with new concerns and changing software, we are looking for more Election Workers and Election Chairs that would like to work day of Election. These are paid positions and the Election Chair would receive a higher amount. Positions are available for the Halfway Location and the Township Hall. Training is provided by the Marquette County Clerk and supplemented by Township Clerk. Mileage to take the course is covered. The training is valid for two years as an Election Worker though it’s always encouraged to join further trainings for new knowledge.