Absentee Ballots are Arriving at Fenton City Hall

Fenton registered voters who can’t make it to the polls on Nov. 6 can begin requesting absentee ballots from city hall. Clerk Jennifer Naismith said around 1,200 voted absentee during the last presidential election in 2008, and she expects approximately 1,500 this year.

A limited amount of absentee ballots are already at and the bulk of them are due to arrive next week by mid-week, Naismith said. To obtain one, people can fill out an application in person at city hall, call (810) 629-2261 to have one mailed to them, or download and print an application from the State of Michigan’s website and submit it to Fenton City Hall.

Naismith reminds residents that they must be a registered voter in the city of Fenton to receive an absentee ballot. The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 6 election is by 5 p.m. on Oct. 9. People can register to vote at Fenton City Hall or a branch office of the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office.

To locate a Secretary of State Branch office, follow this link.

If someone is a first-time voter, he or she must register in person at Fenton City Hall to obtain an absentee ballot, Naismith said.

To be able to obtain an absentee ballot, one or more of these circumstances should apply to the voter requesting one:

• The voter is age 60 or older.
• He or she expects to be absent from his/her community on the day of the election.
• The voter is physically unable to attend the polls without assistance.
• The voter cannot attend the polls because of tenants of his/her religion.
• The voter has been appointed as an election inspector outside of the community he or she lives in.
• He or she cannot attend the polls because of being confined to jail awaiting arraignment or trial.