Presidential Primary Ballot Order

Presidential Primary Ballot Order

When determining the number of ballots to order for the administration of the Presidential Primary, you must make two decisions:

1) The total quantity of ballots your jurisdiction needs; and

2) How the ballot quantity total should be divided between the two-or three–ballot types needed by the jurisdiction. (Note: You do not need to order an equal number of Democratic Party ballots, Republican Party ballots and special election ballots for “No Party Declaration” voters.)  

Turnout in this presidential primary could be difficult to project given that the Republican Primary includes a small number of candidates (with an incumbent president), while the Democratic Primary includes a large number of candidates with no incumbent.  Additionally, Michigan has already received a lot of attention and we expect this attention to grow and intensify as 2020 unfolds, with both major parties prioritizing the state. You should still look to turnout in the 2016 Presidential Primary election to help guide your decisions, but because the length of the candidate lists is opposite of what occurred in 2016 and there is an incumbent running, you may also want to utilize the turnout numbers in your jurisdiction in the 2016 or 2018 August Primary elections as well.

Note, the statewide turnout for the 2016 Presidential Primary was 35 percent and some jurisdictions ran out of or ran very low on ballots.

We offer the following suggested formulas to assist with the above decisions. While we offer the formulas as general guidance on these matters, we strongly emphasize that the county is solely responsible and accountable for all ballot ordering decisions. If there are any unique or unusual circumstances that could impact the quantity or type of ballots needed by a jurisdiction, it is important that the county give full consideration to these factors and adjust the suggested formulas as appropriate.

• Estimating total ballot quantities: When estimating the number of ballots needed by a jurisdiction, start with the turnout in the jurisdiction for the March 8, 2016 Presidential Primary and increase the largest turnout number by at least 25 percent. Increase the quantity by more than 25 percent if deemed necessary.
• Determining how the ballot quantity total should be divided by ballot type: When determining the number of ballots to order, careful consideration must be given to the partisan composition of the jurisdiction and the anticipated number of voters participating in the special election only (if the jurisdiction is conducting any local elections in conjunction with the Presidential Primary). As a starting point for estimating the number of Republican Party ballots which will be needed, take the total Republican Party turnout in the jurisdiction for the March 8, 2016 Presidential Primary, or the turnout statistics for Republican candidates in the respective election you are utilizing, and increase this figure by at least 25 percent. Take the total Democratic Party turnout in the jurisdiction for the March 8, 2016 Presidential Primary, or the turnout statistics for Democratic candidates in the respective election you are utilizing, and increase this figure by at least 25 percent. 

Increase the party turnout figures by more than 25 percent if deemed necessary.

• Also keep in mind – costs attributable to the Presidential Primary are reimbursable.  Note, however, that costs for a third “No Party Declaration” ballot for use with the local special elections only are not reimbursable.  We cannot over-emphasize the importance of having enough ballots on Election Day; of course, having too many ballots is much preferred over having too few.  However, please do not order an unreasonable amount, such as 200 percent of your registered voters.  We will only reimburse for a reasonable number.

Precinct Boundary Changes Due January 7

Pursuant to Michigan election law, the boundaries of all precincts that will be used to administer the March, May, August and November elections in 2020 must be finalized by a resolution by the local election commission no later than January 7, 2020.

Any precinct with more than 2,999 active registered voters must be split at this time. Precinct boundary alterations made by the January 7, 2020 deadline must go into effect no later than February 6, 2020. (MCL 168.661(2)).

If your jurisdiction alters any precinct boundary, please submit the following: 1) a copy of the election commission resolution authorizing the precinct boundary alterations; 2) a copy of the jurisdiction’s current street index, marked to show the changes; 3) a map of your old (current) precinct boundaries; 4) a map of your new (proposed) precinct boundaries; 5) a written description of your new precinct boundaries, and; 6) a list of your new precincts along with the corresponding polling location. Please include the name of the building and the address of each polling location. Mail, fax, or e-mail to the attention of Nicholas Daum, Bureau of Elections, PO Box 20126, Lansing, MI 48901-0726. Email: DaumN1@michigan.gov. Fax: 517-636-6133.

The information will be used to ensure that the Statewide Street Index is properly coded for your city or township.Updating the QVF street index with new precinct boundary information requires a tremendous amount of Bureau of Elections staff time and effort. Please submit your precinct boundary change requests to the BOE as soon as you possibly can to ensure that we are able to process the numerous expected requests in a timely manner.

For more information on precinct boundary alterations, review the online course "Voting Precincts & Polling Locations" or Ch. 14 - Establishing Voting Precincts and Polling Places of the Election Officials' Manual.

QVF Refresh Update

QVF Release for December 6, 2019 is as follows:

Presidential Primary AV Application.

• The Presidential Primary dual AV application is available.
• Ballot Type [Democratic (D), Republican (R), Local Ballot (L)] tracking is fully available in AV Scan and AV Details.

Precincts and Polling Locations.  Corrected issue where polling locations could not be assigned.

Voter Details.  Removed school precinct from Voter Details Report.

Where Did Voters Register to Vote in November?

We've created a map to show the location of where voters registered before the 2019 November Consolidated Election by jurisdiction. All registrations are included, even those who did not vote in November. The statewide total for Election Day was 1,135 out of a total of 2,174 registrations for this election cycle. As you can see from the map, the majority of communities that had an election in November had voters register on Election Day.

BOE Question of the Week:

This week we have a question for you!  Do you maintain a permanent AV List?

Answer:

We want to help voters by telling them whether you maintain a permanent AV list or not on the Michigan Voter Information Center (MVIC) website. As requested in a previous News Update, please assist us by completing the Maintains Perm AV List dropdown in the Clerk Contact section of the QVF to communicate whether your jurisdiction maintains a permanent AV list or not and select save.  Your response is appreciated no later than Friday, December 13, 2019. Thanks in advance!

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