With four different elections likely in the 2008 calendar year, it’s shaping up to be a busy one in Clerk Jill Bastian’s office. None will be more difficult than the Jan. 15 Presidential Primary.
For one, the timing of recent court rulings threw a wrench into typical absentee voter ballot procedures. Add to that the fact that photo identification is now required by state law and that this will be the first closed primary in Orion since 1992 and the headaches commence.
‘We have several things changing,? Bastian said. ‘It’s gotten very complicated.?
Opinions aside, Bastian said there are several things voters must be aware of now that a primary is just six weeks away.
‘People need to understand that they’re not going to get mailings from the clerk’s office like they have in the past,? she said with regards to absentee ballots.
Voters that would like an application for the election can call (248)391-0304, ext. 136, and leave a message including their name, address, and phone number.’An absent voter ballot application will then be mailed.
Alternatively, the application form is available through the township website at www.oriontownship.org or in person at the clerk’s office (2525 Joslyn Road).
Applications must include a voter’s preference for a Democratic Party ballot or a Republican Party ballot. Bastian said for many voters, this will be their first experience with a closed primary.
‘It’s not an election to elect people,? she said of the need for party delineation. ‘It’s a nomination process. In November, you’ll actually be electing people.?
Bastian added that voters do not need to be card carrying members of a party in order to vote for that party.
For the first time, however, voters will have to show photo identification when they head to the polls.
‘We’ve never required showing a photo ID [a new state requirement] or a voter registration card [a federal requirement] before,? Bastian said.
The photo identification does not have to show the voter’s residential address or match the exact name on the application to vote, just be similar enough to verify the voter’s identity.
‘People could have an ID that’s 10 years old,? Bastian said. ‘So we’re told to be rather liberal with our interpretation.?
Types of valid photo identification include driver’s licenses, personal identification cards, passports, student identification cards, military identification cards and tribal identification cards.
Voters without valid photo identification can still vote by signing the ‘Affidavit of Voter Not in Possession of Picture Identification? form. Falsely signing such form is punishable by a fine up to $1,000 or up to five years in prison.
Those not in possession of valid ID or refusing to sign the affidavit will not be able to vote.
Bastian said the changes make it even harder to predict voter turnout, adding that such predictions are hard to make to begin with.
‘We have no idea if we’re going to get a five-percent or a 55-percent turnout,? she said. ‘Plus we don’t know how many of each ballot will be selected.?
Presidential primary ballots have already been printed by the county and there will be plenty of each on hand at every Orion polling site.
Michigan’s relevancy in the primary season is still under question. National committees of both parties have indicated that they will sanction some states for holding primaries before Feb. 5 and some prominent front-runners on the Democratic side will not appear on the ballot as a result.
Bastian said she has never run or seen any type of January election in her time in Orion. The earlier election also creates some additional problems for clerks in her shoes.
‘We’ve got people that aren’t going to be able to work because they’ll be out of town,? Bastian noted. ‘We have a need for more workers.?
After the presidential primary, elections in 2008 include a school election in May, an August primary at the state and local level and the November General Election. In addition to a new township board, voters in Orion are also likely to see police and fire millages on the ballot, and perhaps a renewal of the expiring safety path millage.
‘We’re going to be constantly in election mode,? Bastian said of her office. ‘There’s going to be very little breathing room.?
Efforts are ongoing at the state and county level to consolidate school elections into one of the existing elections in hopes of cutting costs.
Bastian will be at the Orion Senior Center on Thursday, Dec. 13 at 12:30 p.m. to conduct voter registration. She’ll do the same on Friday, Dec. 14 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Lake Orion High School and on Saturday, Dec. 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Orion Township Public Library.
Absent voter ballots and election inspector applications will also be available on those dates. The last day to register for the Jan. 15 election is Monday, Dec. 17.