Sample ballots online, absentee ballots available Nov. 7 for general election

By Jim Newell
Review Staff Writer
With the Nov. 8 general election less than two weeks away, Orion Twp. Clerk Penny Shults said her office is prepared to handle the process as efficiently as possible, even with a higher expected turnout at the polls.
“Everything we do is about public service. We want to make sure people can get in and out and vote and be able to get on with their day,” Shults said. “Everything we do has to be efficient and accurate. There is no room for error.”
Shults said she expects high voter turnout for the general election. “We think we’re going to be in the high 80s, in percentage of our registered voters. People are very interested in this election.”
Shults said there are 27,514 registered voters in the township and village.
Only around 33 percent of registered voters showed up at the polls for the Aug. 2 primary election, according to the Oakland County Clerk’s office election results.
“This election is important and every vote counts. I would be thrilled if we had 100 percent participation. And we will be ready for that,” Shults said.
Voters need to bring some form of valid, state-issued identification: a driver’s license, passport, school or college ID or tribal ID, Shults said. However, if someone does forget their identification, and they are a registered voter, Shults said they will be asked to sign an affidavit, but will be able to vote.
“It takes a whole community to have a successful election,” Shults said. “We have an amazing clerk’s office staff working hard to prepare for the election. That’s our first charge, to serve the public.”
While Shults wants to ensure that the election runs smoothly for current voters, she also wants to inspire future voters to take part in the election process.
“As a fun part of the election, we have new ‘Future Voters’ stickers for kids,” Shults said. “We want to make it a good experience for them, because a lot of families are coming to vote. And we want kids to vote when they get older.”
Absentee ballots
Shults said her office has already issued 4,100 absentee ballots as of Oct. 20.
The clerk’s office will be open from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Nov. 5 solely for absentee ballot voting. The deadline to apply for and receive an absentee ballot by mail is 2 p.m. Nov. 5.
Voters have until 4 p.m. on Nov. 7 to request an absentee ballot in person at the clerk’s office. Anyone doing so must vote at the time of the request; they cannot leave with the ballot, Shults said.
Election inspectors
The clerk’s office recently completed training 240 election poll inspectors, who were required to take four certification training sessions.
Additionally, the clerk’s office conducted five training sessions using the electronic poll books, training about 75 inspectors. “That went remarkably well. We issue everything electronically,” Shults said. “All the training insures that things run better on election day for our voters.”
League of Women Voters guide
The League of Women Voters Oakland Area provide a nonpartisan voter guide covering election races in Oakland County, available on the township website or the LWV website: lwvoa.org.
“That is a wonderful resource and it’s nonpartisan. If anyone wants to get a good, non-partisan overview of the candidates and proposals they should look at it,” Shults said.

Sample ballots for the Nov. 8 for all 15 precincts in Orion Township and the Village of Lake Orion are available for residents to view before casting their votes on the Clerk’s page of the Township’s website: oriontownship.org.
Copies of sample ballots are also available in the Clerk’s office at Orion Township Hall, 2525 Joslyn Rd.
Contact Penny Shults, Orion Township Clerk, at 248-391-0304 ext. 104 for additional election information.