September 28, 2020 – The Midland City Clerk’s Office began mailing absentee ballots on Thursday, September 24 to registered voters who had previously requested and returned an absentee ballot application for the November 3, 2020 Presidential Election. Voters who already completed and returned their absentee ballot applications prior to September 18 should receive their absentee ballots in the mail by the end of this week. If you have submitted your completed application more recently, the Clerk’s office is processing your application now. You can track if your ballot has been mailed at https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/Voter/Index.
Absentee ballots will arrive by mail in a white envelope with a blue stripe on the left side labeled “Official Absent Voter Ballot”. The envelope will contain the ballot and another white envelope with a green stripe on the left side which should be signed and used to return the completed ballot back to the City Clerk’s Office.
Voters may obtain an absentee ballot by submitting an application by mail to the Midland City Clerk’s Office, 333 W. Ellsworth Street, Midland, MI 48640; or via email to clerk@midland-mi.org. A request for absentee ballot form can be found at www.cityofmidlandmi.gov/absentee.
Absentee ballot applications will be processed in the order they are received and by precinct. To track if an application has been received, a ballot has been mailed, or if a ballot has been delivered back to the Clerk’s Office, visit the Michigan Voter Information Website (MVIC) found at https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/Voter/Index. Voters are reminded that an application to vote by absentee ballot must be received for each election before an absentee ballot will be issued. Only one ballot will be issued per voter regardless of the number of applications submitted.
City of Midland voters can save postage and limit contact with others by dropping off their completed absentee ballots at one of two contactless official ballot drop boxes at City Hall. Drop boxes are located in the following locations:
- Inside the City Hall lobby, accessible from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; and
- Outside the Larkin Street entrance to City Hall, accessible 24/7
Voters should not use the payment drop box inside the doors of City Hall to return absentee ballot applications and ballots as they will not fit and may become damaged and unable to be processed.
Completed absentee ballots should be received by the City Clerk’s Office by 8 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted on Election Day. The City Clerk’s Office recommends allowing 2 weeks’ mailing time for returning voted ballots by mail. Return postage of 70 cents is required to mail back an absentee ballot.
Following the passage of Proposal 3, all registered Michigan voters are now eligible to vote by absentee ballot for any reason in any election. For questions or more information on how to obtain an absentee ballot, visit www.cityofmidlandmi.gov/clerk or contact the Midland City Clerk’s Office at 989-837-3310 or clerk@midland-mi.org.
