Early Voting for the General Election Started Today

Early voting for the general election began today, Thursday, Sept. 26, which means election season is officially upon us. 

Election Day isn’t until Nov. 5, but with a variety of early voting options now available, plenty of votes will be pouring in before then. To prepare voters, ELi spoke with East Lansing City Clerk Marie Wicks about the upcoming election. 

What’s on the ballot?

Like most election cycles where the presidential race is on the ticket, the ballot is stacked with important contests. Wicks said voters should make sure they fill out both sides of their ballot, so they don’t miss some races. 

In addition to the presidential election, there will be seats in congress and the state legislature up for grabs, several elections for county officials and on educational boards. 

While voters don’t need to vote on each race, Wicks encourages residents to research races they are less familiar with before turning in their ballots. She pointed to judicial and educational board races as contests she didn’t pay as much attention to when she was younger, but now knows are very important. This cycle, there will be two elections for spots on the Michigan Supreme Court. Additionally, Michigan State University trustees, University of Michigan regents and other important college and university positions will be voted on. 

Locally, there are two separate elections to determine who will serve on the East Lansing Board of Education. The first will feature four candidates competing for three full, four-year terms on the board. The other race will see two candidates competing for a two-year partial term. 

Voters will also decide whether or not to approve a proposed city charter amendment that would impact the city’s housing and rental regulations. Read ELi’s past coverage of the proposed amendment here. 

To get a complete look at the upcoming races, visit the Michigan Voter Information Center to view a sample ballot. Use this link to check your voter registration, and register to vote online here. Notably, online registration ends Oct. 21, after which voters will have to register at a clerk’s office. 

There are a few ways to vote early. 

In recent years, Michigan has expanded early voting options significantly. Now, voters can cast absentee ballots through the mail, at a voter drop box or at a clerk’s office. 

Wicks recommends voters drop off absentee ballots at a drop box or a clerk’s office. Use this link to find drop boxes near you. 

Voters who mail in their ballots should do so at least 10 days before Election Day, just in case there is a delay with postal services. 

Additionally, there will be early voting at the Hannah Community Center starting Oct. 26 and the Michigan State University Communication Arts and Sciences building starting Oct. 21. Each Early Voting Center will be open until Nov. 3. 

Wicks is hopeful that having early voting will cut down on election day lines that plagued East Lansing young voters in recent major elections, particularly in 2022. 

That year, some voters were in line until after midnight, largely because of voters who were not registered prior to election day. While there are 17 voter precincts in East Lansing, registration the day of the election must be done at a clerk’s office. This funneled unregistered voters to the office at city hall and the satellite clerk’s office at Brody Square on the MSU campus. 

East Lansing voters who are registered before election day and voting at regular precincts typically see very short lines. 

Wicks is hopeful that the early voting center on the MSU campus encourages voters to register early and vote early – cutting back on the Election Day lines. 

Additionally, on Election Day there will be election workers talking with voters in line to ensure they are where they are in the correct place. Wicks said in 2022 many voters who lived in nearby municipalities like Bath Township, Lansing or Meridian Township believed they should be in East Lansing to register and vote, but really needed to be in an adjacent municipality. 

“I saw this a number of times in 2022,” Wicks said. “They waited for four hours, but they got to us and they couldn’t vote, they were Meridian Township.”

Wicks said she has worked with the adjacent municipalities’ clerks to educate voters on which jurisdiction they are to vote in.

Additionally, Wicks said there were many voters who waited in line to register, but they were already registered and would have been able to go to a precinct to vote with little wait. 

This year, workers will speak with people who are still in line, identifying those who are in the wrong place before they wait to reach the front. 

With the additional efforts this year, Wicks is “very optimistic” there will be shorter lines for students.

Shorter lines may help increase turnout.  

Young voter turnout consistently lags behind other age groups, and with East Lansing having a large number of Michigan State University students, Wicks is hopeful she can convince some young people to vote. 

Wicks said she has been in focus groups with young people to find out why so many don’t vote, and one reason she has heard is long lines. She has also heard that many young voters do not know election day registration is an option or about early voting options. Additionally, many young people feel disaffected, Wicks said. 

Wicks said she is talking to as many MSU classes and student groups as she can leading up to the election to share information about why voting is important, and how to vote. 

Stick with ELi for more election coverage. 

This is just the start of our coverage of the upcoming election. 

In the coming weeks, expect to see stories on some of the candidates running for state and county office, responses to questions we sent to East Lansing Board of Education candidates, a program on the proposed charter amendment and more!