ABSENTEE BALLOT ISSUE IDENTIFIED AND RESOLVED
Ballot Printing Error in One Plainfield Township Precinct Immediately Corrected
KENT COUNTY, Mich. (Oct. 3, 2024) – Kent County Clerk/Register of Deeds Lisa Posthumus Lyons and Plainfield Township officials were made aware late Wednesday afternoon of an error on the ballot for one precinct in Plainfield Township. As a result, the ballots are currently being reprinted and will be mailed to the affected 905 absentee voters on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024.
The error impacted approximately 3% of Plainfield Township registered voters. No military or overseas ballots were affected, and all other ballots issued to Plainfield Township voters are correct.
Although the ballots were correct during the County and Township proofing process, an error occurred during printing when incorrect color-coded ballot number stubs were added to the ballots for Precincts 9A and 9B. The error resulted in Precinct 9B ballots being mailed to Precinct 9A voters.
All incorrect ballots distributed to voters in Precinct 9 have been spoiled, which prevents any of those ballots from being accepted and tabulated if returned by voters. This ensures voters receive the correct ballot to vote in the Nov. 5 General Election. Township election officials will directly contact anyone who votes on and returns a spoiled ballot so they may be issued a correct one.
“All affected voters will receive the right ballot immediately so they can cast their vote well ahead of Election Day,” said Kent County Clerk/Register of Deeds Lisa Posthumus Lyons. “I want to be very clear to all voters that this situation will not allow anyone to vote twice. Spoiling incorrect ballots is a critical safeguard to protect the integrity of our election process.”
Voters can easily identify the corrected ballots by looking for a green color-coded ballot number stub, a new issue date, and paid postage for delivery. Also, the corrected ballot will include a yellow flyer notifying the voter of the issue and providing information on what to do with the spoiled ballot. Voters can verify the mailing date of their ballots online at https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/Voter/Index.
Voters who received the spoiled ballot should destroy it or bring it to the Plainfield Township Clerk’s Office, located at 6161 Belmont Ave. NE, to have it destroyed by Township election officials.
“We take election integrity seriously and our priority is to get the correct ballot to the voters immediately," said Jen DeHaan, Assistant Manager of Plainfield Township. "We are here to serve the people and we will work tirelessly until the correct ballots are in the hands of every registered voter.”
Voters with additional questions regarding the ballot process can contact the Kent County Clerk’s Office at clerk-register@kentcountymi.gov or (616) 632-7650.
“The Township and the County want to assure voters that our elections continue to be secure, transparent, fair, and accurate,” concluded Lyons.
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