April 2024

Monthly Newsletter

Upcoming Events:

4/10/2024 - Post Election Audit at the City of Grand Haven

4/23/2024 - Filing Deadline for Partisan Candidates

4/24/2024 - Administrative Professionals Day & Poll Inspector Training

4/25/2024 - Bring Your Kid to Work Day

4/29/2024 - Chair Certification & Poll Inspector Certification 

5/1/2024 - Poll Inspector Certification & Poll Inspector Training

5/7/2024 - Election Day

Permanent Ballot Notification

Earlier this month, our team mailed notice to over 30,000 Ottawa County voters in the upcoming May 7, 2024 Election who opted to join the “Permanent Ballot List.”  The Permanent Ballot List became an option for Michigan voters last year following the passage of Proposal 22-2, which allows for voters to make one application for absentee ballots in all future elections.  Previously, Michigan law required voters to submit an application for each election in which they chose to have an absentee ballot.

The Permanent Ballot List option is a great convenience for Michigan voters who wish to receive a ballot by mail for every election.  However, this change makes it more critical than ever for election administrators to ensure accuracy in the voter rolls.  The postcard mailed by Ottawa County Elections was both a reminder to voters that they will be receiving a ballot by mail for the upcoming election, and also giving them the option to contact their local clerk if they will be absent from their residence during the time the ballot will be mailed, or if they no longer wish to receive a ballot by mail. By mailing this voter notice with “return service requested” we also receive notification if voters have moved or have notified the U.S. Postal Service that they are temporarily away.  This allows our City and Township clerks to take the appropriate action in the voter file, and a ballot will not be mailed to those addresses. 

Please note that there are a number of steps taken to ensure the security of absentee ballots in our elections process. 

• Ballot drop boxes must meet security requirements and are required to be under video surveillance. 
• Signatures on every returning ballot envelope are verified by City and Township clerks against the signature image contained on the voter file. 
• Voters can track the status of their absentee ballot online at: www.michigan.gov/vote.

Post-Election Audits

February 27, 2024 Presidential Primary Race

Post-election audits ensure the integrity and accuracy of procedures before, during, and after an election.  The Michigan Secretary of State's office selects all precincts to be audited at random.

During the audit, we review paperwork critical to election security, including:

• In-person and absentee voter lists
• Election Inspector applications
• Election Commission minutes
• Public Accuracy Test ballots
• Applications to Vote

We will also do a hand count of all votes cast to ensure that totals were accurate and appropriately documented.

The following Ottawa County precincts that have been randomly selected by the Michigan Secretary of State:

• Holland Charter Township, Pct. 7
• City of Zeeland, Pct. 3
• Allendale Charter Township, Pct. 2
• City of Hudsonville, Ward 2, Pct. 1
• City of Grand Haven, Pct. 1

Following our final audit for the February 2024 Presidential Primary race a report will be produced. Please check back here next month for additional information!

Jury Statistics Report

On March 29^th the Court Records division of the Clerk/Register of Deeds office submitted the verification for the annual Jury Statistic Report to the State Court Administrative Office.

In total, for 2023, our office summoned 7,275 jurors for potential trials. Of this significant number, the amount of jurors that were called into court to serve on jury duty was 1,748. Four-hundred seventy-nine (479) of these citizens then were questioned by the attorneys and judges as a result of 30 jury trials held in the Circuit Court.

Thank you so much to the staff that assisted our jurors through the jury duty process and compiling the data for this year’s report!

Plat Board Meeting Notices

We have an exciting update!  The Plat Board Meeting notices have been moved to the main calendar on miottawa.org.

This update will make locating meeting information more accessible for our customers.

Along with the notices, the meeting agendas and minutes will also be available on this page.

However, you will still be able to find the plat board minutes where they have always been located on our website.

We want to hear from you!

The Clerk/Register’s office is dedicated to serve you, and it is our mission to ensure that you leave our office having had a good interaction no matter the outcome. If you had an interaction with our office recently, we' love to get your feedback.  Your comments will help us improve our service and better tell our story. Please submit your feedback here.

Justin F. Roebuck

Clerk | Register of Deeds

414 Washington Ave. Room 320 | Grand Haven, Michigan 49417

12220 Fillmore St. | West Olive, Michigan 49460| 616-994-4537

jroebuck@miottawa.org | www.miottawa.org/ClerkROD

Find us on Facebook @OCClerkRegister and on Twitter @OttawaElections