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.
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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.
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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.
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