News Update - Military & Overseas AV Delivery Requirement Next Saturday, FOIA Request for Nov '16 Ballots, and More

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

banner

June 15, 2018

Military & Overseas AV Ballot Delivery Requirement for August 7th State Primary is Saturday, June 23rd

If a protected voter has submitted a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) or any other valid absent voter ballot application since November 8, 2017, the voter qualifies and must receive a ballot for every election in 2018. If you sent any military and overseas voters ballots for the May election, YOU MUST SEND THOSE VOTERS BALLOTS for the State Primary by Saturday June 23rd.

If your jurisdiction has received an application from military or overseas protected voters, ballots must be emailed, faxed, or mailed by Saturday, June 23rd via the voter's preferred method. Electronic ballots are available now!!

If you are using QVF Legacy, you must obtain the electronic ballot via the Elections Management Portal.  Full instructions start on page 7 of the Elections Management Portal Manual.

If you are using QVF Refresh, you can obtain the electronic ballot by entering the application in the voter's record in Refresh.  Full instructions can be found on page 6 of the Military and Overseas Voters Manual for Election Administrators

In addition to being available for fax and email requests, the electronic ballot can and must be printed and mailed if your regular ballots will not be available by June 23rd to a voter requesting a ballot via postal mail.

Important notes:

  • The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) has updated the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA).  Old forms are still valid.
  • This includes a military or overseas voter on your permanent AV Application list once they have returned an application in a calendar year.
  • Ballots must be sent by June 23rd but if the voter has requested the ballot by email or fax, the electronic (EMP) ballot may be sent now.
  • If regular absentee ballots are not available by June 23rd, the Electronic ballot must be printed and mailed to those protected voters requesting the ballot via postal mail. A regular absentee ballot should be mailed if received prior to June 23rd. Ballots being sent via postal mail should not be neglected as they are the most time sensitive.
  • Ensure ballots generated through the EMP or QVF Refresh have been proofed.

Review the most recent version of the Military and Overseas Voters Manual for Election Administrators for full instructions.

In addition, the Help Desk is available to provide assistance with the issuance of electronic ballots and will have office hours on Saturday, June 23rd  from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. as usual.

FOIA

FOIA Request for 2016 November Election Voted Ballots 

Several jurisdictions have reported receiving a FOIA request from “Emily” requesting voted ballots and related materials from certain precincts in the 2016 November General election.  Voted ballots are subject to FOIA, and you should respond to this request like you would any other FOIA request.  However, please note that if you have AV envelopes containing ballots that were not counted on election day, you should not open those envelopes and provide those ballots, as those are traceable to the voter.  You must, however, provide the envelope information for these ballots.  You should share footnote 6 of Attorney General Opinion Number 7247 with your city or township attorney, and consult with him or her on how to answer this portion of the request.  

It is important that you review our Memo Regarding Viewing Voted Ballots before you prepare any materials to respond to this FOIA request.  Because these ballots remain under the Federal retention period, it is vital that a verifiable chain of custody is maintained and that no person, other than the clerk or office staff designated by the clerk, have any form of direct or indirect access to the ballots, ballot containers, or ballot bags.

blocks

2018 Election Planning – Reviewing the Basics

This article is the third of a series of articles designed to assist in the preparation of training programs and other related planning for the upcoming August and November elections.

Processing Voters – Federal ID Requirement

While Michigan requires all voters to be asked to show photo identification or sign an affidavit of voter not in possession of photo ID, the federal government requires a voter to show some form of identification the very first time they vote in the State of Michigan. Often times this requirement is met through QVF matching the driver’s license or social security number with either the driver’s license or social security number database. But occasionally, a voter may appear at the polls with the designation "Must show ID before voting (federal requirement)" in the ePollbook or "ID" on the precinct list.

A voter with that designation must:

1. Show one of the acceptable forms of photo ID

OR

2. Show a paycheck stub, utility bill, bank statement or a government document which lists the voter’s name and address AND sign the affidavit of voter not in possession of photo ID (to meet the Michigan ID requirement)

If the voter is unable to complete one of the above steps, an envelope ballot must be issued to the voter.

The voter will then have 6 days after the election to bring the Clerk one of the pieces of identification acceptable to meet the federal ID requirement.

Important tips to remember if issuing an envelope ballot:

  • Envelope ballots must be identified by preparing them as a challenged ballot.
  • The voter must be provided with a notice on where to find the Clerk to bring proper ID.
  • The Provisional Ballot Form is used only to secure the ballot in this instance, the voter affidavit and election inspector checklist do not have to be completed.

For full instructions, refer to the Federal ID Requirement portion in the Processing Voters section of the Managing Your Precinct on Election Day - Election Inspectors' Procedure Manual flipchart.

IN THIS ISSUE

  • Military & Overseas AV Ballot Delivery Requirement Next Saturday
  • FOIA Request for November 2016 Ballots
  • Reviewing the Basics - Federal ID Requirement
  • Primary Election - Logic & Accuracy Testing
  • QVF Refresh Update
  • August Voting Instructions Available
  • Center for Voter Information Mailing
  • BOE Question of the Week
new version

Primary Election - Logic & Accuracy Testing

The Primary Election Logic & Accuracy Testing Online Course has been updated for the addition of the Libertarian Party on the August Primary ballot.  The new version of the course will be available in the eLearning Center on Monday.

QVF Refresh Update

The QVF Refresh Software Release for June 15, 2018 will be released after 5 p.m. today and includes the following:

*  Inbox List Report now offers Excel and CSV output options

*  Release Notes are available under the Help menu and will be updated for each release

*  Clerk Contacts module permits only one staff person with the role of “clerk”

*  Custom List Report

  • 3 across labels are now properly aligned
  • Clear button now available
  • Bar code option for labels

*  Inbox “On Demand” signatures are available for voter transactions selected only which will assist with the performance

*  Master cards printed from Inbox are now in the correct order by last name

*  Secondary signature capture date is now accurate

*  ID Card alignment for pre-printed cards equal QVF Legacy formats

In addition an update to Chapter 6 of the QVF Refresh Manual - Absent Voter Tracking  will be available on Monday. Remember - all QVF Manuals are stored in the eLearning Center.       

August Voting Instructions Available

The Voting Instructions have been updated for the August 7th election in both English and Spanish. Both can be found on the Information for Election Administrator's webpage in the Calendars & Voting Instructions box.

Please remember, two copies must be on display in each precinct.

Center for Voter Information

In addition to the Voter Participation Center (VPC), the Bureau of Elections has also received word that the Center for Voter Information (CVI) will be mass mailing voter registration forms to possible unregistered voters across the State.

When completed by a voter, these forms will be returned to the BOE and we will filter them to the appropriate local Clerk. Be advised, beyond approval of the voter registration form, the BOE does not have any other affiliation to this project or organization.

Information on how to remove someone from the list is on their website (linked above).

BOE Question of the Week

BOE Question of the Week:

 

I received an Absent Voter Ballot Application signed by a Power of Attorney (POA) but not the voter.  What do I do?

Answer: People designated as POA do not have the ability to sign voter documents.  The voter must sign their own forms related to voter registration and voting.  If a voter's ability to sign documents has diminished, they may simply make a mark or use a signature stamp.  Ask the voter to sign a new application and if their ability to sign has diminished ask them to update their voter registration signature as well.


Have a question you'd  like to see
in the Question of the Week?  Send it to elections@michigan.gov.

Helpful Links

account requestcalendarElearning Center link