Residents in Oxford and Addison township who plan to vote in next year’s elections via absentee ballots will no longer receive the application form in their mail, thanks to a recent ruling by the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Both townships mail absent voter ballot applications to every resident over the age of 60, or anyone else who’s requested it, before every election.
According to the state’s appeals court ruling, government employees that mass mail these applications ‘amounts to propaganda? at the township’s expense and that it is ‘not within the scope of Michigan election laws.?
The clerks can, however, maintain a mass mailing list of voters who asked to be placed on the list.
Next year will be one of the busy elections years, with elections falling on Jan. 15, May 8, Aug. 5 and Nov. 4.
Oxford Township Clerk Clara Sanderson said she usually mails out more than 2,000 applications to residents.
‘With this new ruling, I can’t really verify every voter really has made a commitment to receiving one,? she said. ‘It was a good reminder for (residents).?
Addison Township Clerk Pauline Bennett disagrees with the court’s ruling, and said she doesn’t consider mailing the applications as propaganda, but merely helping people exercise their freedom to vote. Addison usually mails out 1,017 absent voter applications.
At Oxford Village, just over 200 applications are usually sent out.
Bennett knows she’ll be getting some phone calls. ‘I’m thinking a lot of our residents who are accustomed to receive our absent voter applications will probably call and ask where their application is,? she said.
For Addison Twp. residents, Bennett said they can call her at (248) 628-3317 to request an application, e-mail her at pbennett@twp.addison.mi.us or send a request by mail 1440 Rochester Rd., Leonard, MI 48367.
Oxford Twp. residents can call Clerk Sanderson at (248) 628-9787 (ext. 5), e-mail her at csanderson@oxfordtownship.org, download an application from the township’s website www.oxfordtownship.org, or send a request by mail to 300 Dunlap Rd., Oxford, MI 48371.
Village residents can call Clerk Dan Luick to request one at (248) 628-2543 or send a request by mail to 22 W. Burdick, P.O. Box 94, Oxford 48371-0094.