July 21, 2017

Merit Email Elimination Update - Public Contact Email

After much deliberation and consideration of clerk feedback, the Bureau of Elections has decided to simplify the communication process.

Beginning next week, the Jurisdiction Election email provided to the Bureau of Elections over the last couple of months will be the email displayed for voters on the Michigan Voter Information Center (MVIC), Federal Voting Assistance (FVAP), Overseas Vote Foundation (OVF), and other public websites that provide clerk contact information to voters.

If you have not responded to the Jurisdiction Election Email form, please do so immediately.  If you would like to update the email you have provided, at any time in the future, simply resubmit the form. If you do not respond, the clerk's email address we already have on file will be used. 

How do I check which email address was submitted for my jurisdiction?

Login to the eLearning Center and in the menu bar, click on Home > My Profile. Under the Additional
Information section view the "Jurisdiction's Election Email."

As stated in the previous communications, BOE
recommends an email address that is checked frequently and accessible during absences. Many
jurisdictions have a generic elections@jurisdiction.gov address that multiple employees in the
office can access to respond efficiently
to their citizens requests.  You can set forwarding in your local email service to automatically forward to other people in your office as well.

EAC Survey Results

What happens to all of that data we collect in QVF and via the EAC survey after each November General election?  It's sent to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and they compile the data for all of the states into the Election Administration & Voting Survey Report.  The 2016 Election Administration & Survey has been released and is available for public viewing. 

A few things to glean from the survey about Michigan:

• Ranked 14th in Presidential Voter Turnout
• One of 12 states to have more than 25% of voters vote by absentee ballot
• Ranked 2nd in receipt of Motor Vehicle Office registration.  The average for all states that receive voter registration applications from the Motor Vehicle Offices is 32.73%.  Michigan is one of only 3 states over 50% with 71.2% of all applications originating at the Secretary of State Branch Office.
• Ranked 12th in the number of UOCAVA (Military and Overseas Voter) ballots issued 

There is much more to see and learn from in the full report.

IN THIS ISSUE

• Merit Elimination Update - Public Contact Email
• EAC Survey Results
• Polling Place Evaluation

Polling Place Evaluation Series

This article is the second in a series of articles geared toward the polling place and accessibility. The odd year is a good time to take a look at your polling locations and determine
if improvements need to be made or a new facility should be found.
The polling place is a vital part to a successful election, especially a large turnout election.

Ideal Polling Location
When considering a new polling location, the following components, while not required, provide a productive environment:

• ample parking
• a room large enough to hold one voting booth for every 80 voters, plus processing tables & a public area
• outlets to accommodate the tabulator, Voter Assist Terminal, and ePollbook
• a separate entrance and exit to the voting room
• restroom and kitchen facilities for election inspectors
• an interior corridor to allow any line to be held outside of the voting room but still indoors

In addition, all polling locations
must be ADA accessible.  

Accessibility - Parking

Can all of your voters park at their polling location? Every polling location must have:

• a van accessible parking space (equivalent of two parking spaces, one marked off as an access
  aisle)
• additional accessible parking spots for parking lots with more than 25 & 50 parking spots
• an access aisle with a level surface
• curb cuts from the access aisle to building entrance
• a sign marking the
  accessible spot that is
  visible from inside the car

An Accessible Parking Flyer is available for educational purposes.

Each polling location should be reviewed using the Polling Place Accessibility Worksheet available in the Elections eLearning Center. In addition, any polling place that has not been reviewed in over five years, must be reviewed again. The completed worksheets should be submitted
electronically using the Polling Place Accessibility Checklist Online Form in the Elections
eLearning Center using the Browse by Subject box, Polling Place Accessibility.

If your polling location is deficient in any of the areas above, remember, federal law requires polling locations to comply with the American Disabilities Act (ADA). The polling place must be made compliant or a new location must be found.

Cities and townships who have questions regarding polling
place accessibility are encouraged to contact Bureau of Elections’ Specialist David Foster at
517-373-0065 or
fosterd2@michigan.gov

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