Establishing early voting regions in QVF—May election

Clerks coordinating an early voting region (for either single-municipality, municipal, or county agreements) should establish early voting regions and sites in the “Early Voting” module under “Elections” in QVF by April 8. While this date is not set in statute, clerks are required to ensure that BOE has the information necessary to include the locations, days, and hours of operation for each early voting site on Michigan.gov/Vote. It is strongly recommended that clerks enter this information at the same time they are entering their weekend hours and satellite office information (if applicable).

Reporting weekend hours for the May 7 Special Election

All clerks with a May election must report the hours the clerk's office will be open for absentee voting the Saturday and/or Sunday prior to the May election. Michigan election law requires the clerk's office to maintain a minimum of 8 hours over those two days. The time may be split between Saturday and Sunday, or all conducted on one day. This includes jurisdictions that have “opted out” of opening a precinct on Election Day. This information must be entered into QVF no later than Monday, April 8. This information also must be posted with other township or city postings in a central location. To enter this information into QVF: Select “Elections,” then select “Jurisdiction hours.” Select your jurisdiction and enter your business and pre-election weekend hours, and add any additional registration locations using the “Additional Registration” button, if needed. Select “Save” before exiting.

See QVF Manual Chapter 11 - Clerk Contacts for further instructions. When you enter this information into QVF, voters will see it under the Election Information “Your Clerk” tab on the Michigan Voter Information Center, Michigan.gov/Vote.

Notice of registration for May 7 Special Election 

The Notice of Registration for the November election must be posted in a newspaper of general circulation by Monday, April 8. A Sample Notice of Registration is available on the eLearning Center. Review Chapter 16 - Pre & Post Election Information in the Election Officials' Manual for full requirements.

Presidential Primary Early Voting Feedback Survey

BOE has developed a survey for election administrators to provide feedback on administering early voting in the February election. It contains questions on early voting technology, procedures, training sessions, and materials. We encourage all clerks and election staff to complete this survey, especially those who were early voting coordinators or site supervisors during the Presidential Primary. BOE will be using the responses to assess the development of early voting technology and training materials for the Presidential Primary, and to develop materials and technology to help conduct early voting in future elections. The survey is available in eLearning and will be live until April 19.

Affidavits of Identity

Public Act 158 of 2021 added the following fields to the Affidavit of Identity (AOI) form filed by candidates:

• Jurisdiction (including district, circuit, ward, and precinct number, as applicable) in which the candidate is seeking office
• Political party or a statement that the prospective candidate is running without a political party affiliation
• Term of office for the office sought
• Date of the election on which the candidate wishes to appear on the ballot
• For judicial candidates, the candidate’s incumbency status

The BOE also promulgated administrative rules to implement the 2021 act, which requires candidates to submit a list of counties where they have run for office. As with all other information on the AOI, unless specified, these fields are mandatory, and an Affidavit of Identity should not be accepted if the filer has left any of the mandatory fields blank.

If the filer attests that they have no outstanding statements, reports, late filing fees, or fines required under the Michigan Campaign Finance Act (MCFA), and the filing official determines that one or more of those items is outstanding, Michigan Election Law indicates that those are grounds for disqualification. Specifically, section 558(4) states that “[a]n officer shall not certify to the board of election commissioners the name of a candidate who fails to comply with this section, or the name of a candidate who executes an Affidavit of Identity that contains a false statement with regard to any information or statement required under this section.” This decision is the filing official’s.

To aid this review, the administrative rules require the filer provide the county name where they have previously run for office.  The failure to provide this list is not grounds for disqualification but is designed to aid the review process.

The Non-judicial offices AOI, precinct delegate AOI, incumbent judicial AOI and Affidavit of Candidacy, and non-incumbent judicial AOI and Affidavit of Constitutional Qualification are available on the BOE website, and candidates should use the applicable form. 

Drop box collection requirements

Clerks with a May election are required to collect election materials from each drop box in their jurisdiction every day that the clerk’s office is open for business, beginning April 2. All ballots and applications collected from a drop box must be transported in an approved ballot container and must be immediately returned to the clerk’s office, unless the person collecting the ballots is travelling to another drop box. Ballots and applications collected from a drop box that is not located on the grounds of the clerk’s office must be documented on a collection log. The collection log must document the name of the individual collecting ballots, the date, and the drop box location. The BOE has placed in the eLearning Center a Drop Box Collection and Inspection Form Template. If you choose to create your own log, you need to ensure it captures the required information. All clerks should also take this opportunity to confirm that their drop box locations in QVF are up to date. The QVF entries for drop box locations are used to populate the clerk page at Michigan.gov/Vote, which voters use to identify drop box locations.

Options for providing EV in 2024 and 2025

BOE understands that clerks are working diligently, whether alone or with other parties to their agreements, to make sure that early voting (EV) is provided as required by the Michigan Constitution and statute, and BOE understands that this represents a significant challenge for election administrators.  Please do not hesitate to reach out to us and we will do what we can. However, options are limited under current law, so please be mindful of approaching deadlines.

BOE is hiring 

Departmental Analyst 12 – Security and Standards Section. This position will serve as the recognized resource for creating or changing election administration materials for clerks and vendors based on changes to Michigan election law. This position will gather data from election officials to determine program needs and coordinate with Election Administration staff on development of section programs; assist with the oversight of Michigan’s over 1,600 county and local election officials in the performance of their duties to ensure proper practices and procedures; and provide support for section programs, such as assisting with audits and recounts. This position will require some travel. More information is available here.

Accessibility spotlight

BOE is continuing to recap our recently featured series of videos and articles designed to increase familiarity with general accessibility requirements and best practices. This is intended to be a second opportunity for individuals to watch and read our previously published pieces.

As election officials, it is critical that we support all individuals’ right to vote and provide the necessary resources to help voters feel more engaged and confident. 

We believe that this series will be educational and help us all continue to ensure that everyone can vote privately and independently whether they vote at a polling place or at home. 

This is the second installment that we featured, and is titled, “Interacting with People with Disabilities… and Everyone.” This video explains how to communicate and interact with people with disabilities and explores the challenges they face when participating in an election. This 8-minute video was developed by the United States Election Commission as part of a continuing educational program for election officials and their teams. Video Link.