The Secretary of State is mailing absent voter ballot applications in advance of the August Election to registered voters in the state. The state will not send absent voter ballot applications to voters on local permanent absent voter ballot application lists, understanding that clerks are already sending applications to these voters. Additionally, we are aware that several clerks plan to send absent voter ballot applications to all of their registered voters for August and so the state will not send to those individuals either.

Clerks should consult with their own legal counsel before sending applications, but the Bureau’s view is that local and county clerks are not prohibited from sending applications to all registered voters.

Because voters can begin applying for AV ballots on Thursday, May 21, and mindful of postal delays in some areas, the state is sending the mailing at this time to supplement local efforts to encourage as many voters as possible to apply for and cast ballots by mail in the August election. All applications sent by the state will be dual August/November applications with voter information pre-printed on the application (including QVF barcode) and will include a cover letter and instructions for returning ballots by mail, e-mail, or in-person.

Clerks are also reminded that June 8, 2020 is the deadline to submit a reimbursement claim for the March 10 Presidental Primary. As of yesterday, only 58 counties and 761 local jurisdictions had submitted their presidential primary reimbursement form.

• The city/township claim forms are available here and in eLearning.
• You can also use the reimbursement guidelines and worksheets for the county and local clerks to help you calculate totals for each expense type.
  • We recommend that you print the worksheet first and then use those section totals for entry into the online form. You must type your information in the claim form in one session. There is no ability to save and edit the form later. If you need to make corrections to a submitted form, you will need to complete a new form and check the “Changes to a Previous Claim” box in the County Information section.

All claimed expenses must be attributable to the March 10, 2020 presidential primary. Additional expenses attributable to any local question can’t be claimed – for example, the cost of the local proposal-only ballot.

Herasanna Richards is a legislative associate handling energy, environmental, elections, and municipal services for the League. She can be reached at [email protected] or 517-908-0309.