Things have changed in school elections.
Under a new state law enacted this past January, all federal, state, county, township and school elections are restricted to only four dates a year.
In the past, Lake Orion school elections took place in June. That date was no longer an option and the school board voted to conduct its general election in May.
Orion Township’s clerk now conducts the school elections using municipal precinct boundaries and locations. The township has 14 voting precincts.
Township residents should have received new voter ID cards showing the new location for all future school elections.
According to Orion Township Clerk Jill Bastian, voters should go to the polling place where they voted in the last presidential election.
She said Orion Township residents in the Rochester and Pontiac School Districts will vote in their usual township polling places. They will be given a ballot involving Rochester or Pontiac School District issues.
Under the new law, the township did have an option to consolidate some of the precincts, but Bastian said she opted not to do that.
‘We would have had to send out a ‘remember? card for every election. I think that would have been confusing,? she added. ‘We’re going to try it this way, at least for now.?
The clerk’s office mailed absentee ballots to all registered voters. ‘We have done this before. It’s inexpensive. We don’t use a lot of taxpayer dollars,? she said.
Results of the school election will be tabulated by Oakland County.
Polls are open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Absentee ballots only may be dropped off at the clerk’s office April 30, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.