By Jim Newell

Review Editor

Even though Orion Township residents will head to the polls until the August primary, some will be casting their ballots in new precinct locations from now on.

The township board voted 6-0 on Monday to permanently relocate six voting precincts and establish a set location for the Absent Voter Counting Board and Emergency Polling location.

• Precinct 2 will move from Blanche Sims Elementary School to Lake Orion Village Hall, 21 E. Church St.

• Precinct 6 will move from Waldon Middle School to The River Church, 3920 S. Baldwin Rd.

• Precinct 7 will move from Carpenter Elementary to the Orion Township DPW Garage, 2685 Joslyn Ct.

• Precinct 9 will move from Scripps Middle School to Lake Orion Baptist Church, 255 E. Scripps Rd.

• Precinct 11 will move from Orion Oaks Elementary to The Orion Center, 1335 Joslyn Rd.

• Precinct 13 will move from Gingellville Community Church to Mount Zion Community House, 4005 S. Baldwin Rd.

• The Absent Voter Counting Board will move to the board room of the Orion Township Municipal Complex, 2323 Joslyn Rd.

• The Emergency Polling location will be in the Dragon Room of the Orion Township Municipal Complex.

“Lake Orion Community Schools has requested that we remove our polling locations from their buildings,” said Clerk Penny Shults. “The reason that we moved out of those precincts was that the schools asked us to relocate. We agreed. It’s a good step for them to have us move from the school locations to other precincts. And I’m really thankful that everybody got on board.”

Residents will be mailed their new voter registration cards with updated information in the next month or so.

“Voters can expect to get their new ID card within a month or two. It’s a long process and we’re in line with a lot of other municipal clerks to get those printed,” Shults said. “So, we’re hopeful to get those to (voters), I would say by the first of April (they) should have that in their mailbox.”

The primary election is Aug. 2. The general election, also known as the mid-term or gubernatorial election in Michigan, is Nov. 8.

Locally, Village of Lake Orion voters will cast ballots for four village council members. All Orion Township voters will decide on three school board seats that are up for election.

The Orion Township Board of Trustees members are not up for election until 2024.

“A cool thing that will happen in the village, the precinct will be located at their municipal building and a lot of the voters will be able to walk to their precinct,” Shults said. “So, I think that will be pretty special. They were so excited to get that moved. Thank you to all of the hosts of our 15 precincts.”

The remaining precincts will remain the same, according to election information on the township’s website:

• Precinct 1: St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 715 N. Lapeer Rd.

• Precinct 3: Lake Orion Church of Christ, 1080 Hemingway Rd.

• Precinct 4: Orion Township Public Library, 825 Joslyn Rd.

• Precinct 5: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1950 S. Baldwin Rd.

• Precinct 8: The Orion Center, 1335 Joslyn Rd.

• Precinct 10: St. Mary’s in the Hills Episcopal Church, 2515 Joslyn Court.

• Precinct 12: Lake Orion United Methodist Church, 140 E. Flint St.

• Precinct 14: King of Kings Lutheran Church, 1715 S. Lapeer Rd.

• Precinct 15: Orion Township Fire Station #2, 3801 Giddings Rd.

Orion Township residents, including the Village of Lake Orion, who would like to register to vote can stop by the clerk’s counter at the Orion Township Municipal Complex, 2323 Joslyn Rd., or contact Clerk Penny Shults office at 248-391-0304 ext. 4001.

Trustees Brian Birney and Mike Flood are township board election commissioners.

“We run everything past them as it relates to elections. It’s good to have that oversight. They make the recommendations for changes with our elections in any way; or the recommendations of who will work, of who will be assigned at each precinct,” Shults said.

For more election information, visit oriontownship.org.