(Graphic: Farlane and Justin Rumao via Flickr.com)

(Graphic: Farlane and Justin Rumao via Flickr.com)

If you want to vote in the November 4 Presidential election, you have to be registered to vote by Monday, October 6. In order to answer some very common questions about voting and voter rights, we turned to two mid-Michigan clerks. First is Meridian Township Clerk Mary Helmbrecht, a Republican. Second is Chris Swope, the Democratic City Clerk of Lansing.

1. Where can I go to register to vote?

Mary Helmbrecht says: Individuals 18 years of age and a U.S. Citizen may register to vote at the

Clerk’s office of the city or township in which you have resided for at least 30 days. You may register at all Secretary of State branch offices, the Family Independence Agency, the Department of Community Health, and the Michigan Jobs Commission. Meridian Charter Township Clerk’s Office will be open until 8:00 pm. on October 6th.

Chris Swope says: Your municipal or county clerk, any Secretary of State branch. In addition, specified agencies providing services through the Department of Human Services, the Department of Community Health and the Department of Career Development offer voter registration services to their clients and military recruiting offices. You may also register “by mail” which includes any voter drive or organization not otherwise listed in this answer.

2. My state-issued identification has a different address on it from my voter registration card. Can I still vote?

Mary Helmbrecht says: Michigan Identification rule requires “picture identification,” driver’s license, state ID, school ID, does not require the address be the same. However, if you have never voted in Michigan, and did not register to vote at one of the locations noted above, Federal law requires you to show identification verifying the address at which you are registered to vote. (Please also refer to the answer to question #6.)

Chris Swope says: Yes

3. Do I have to present identification at the polls? What if I don’t have one with me. Will I still be allowed to vote?

Mary Helmbrecht says: Michigan Law requires picture identification. If you are not ” in possession” of picture identification when you show up at your polling location, you will be required to sign an affidavit stating you are not “in possession” of picture identification prior to being issued a ballot. (Please also refer to the answer in question #14.)

Chris Swope says: For most people, no [you do not have to present an ID] — you will be asked for photo ID and if you don’t have it, you will have to sign an affidavit stating you don’t have it. Some people fall under a federal law requiring ID – these are folks who registered by mail, have never voted in Michigan, and did not provide a valid Michigan ID number when they registered. People under the Federal ID requirement must show current valid photo ID or a copy of a pay stub, utility bill, bank statement, or government document which shows their name and address. Those not meeting the Federal ID requirement are still allowed to vote, but must vote a Provisional Envelope Ballot; they must provide the ID to the clerk after the election for their vote to be counted.

4. My family recently entered into a foreclosure battle. Can I still vote?

Mary Helmbrecht says: There is not a clear-cut answer to this question. You will need to contact the Clerk’s Office in the municipality where you are registered to provide information regarding your situation. Once the Clerk is aware of the details, the clerk will provide an answer to this question.

Chris Swope says: Foreclosure does not prevent you from voting. Foreclosure lists include many people who are still living in the home. If you moved out of your residence more than 60 days before Election Day, you must register at your new address.

5. Can I wear my Obama or McCain t-shirt or button into the polling location to vote?

Mary Helmbrecht says: Simply put – no. No campaigning of any kind, including your clothing, is allowed within 100 feet of any door leading to your precinct.

Chris Swope says: NO – campaigning at the polls within 100 feet of any entrance is prohibited. The only recognized exception is that you may park your car within 100 feet only while you are voting.

6. I am a college student, and my driver’s license lists me as living with my parents. But I want to vote here where I am living. Will changing my driver’s license address impact my health insurance coverage?

Mary Helmbrecht says: You will need to contact your Health Insurance carrier to address the health insurance coverage aspect of the question. Michigan law requires your Driver’s License and Voter Registration be matched to one another. If you change your driver’s license, your voter registration at the address on your driver’s license will automatically be cancelled. You will need to re-register in your new community. If you change your voter registration address by registering to vote at a different address at a rally, concert or any location stated above, the Secretary of State’s office will automatically change the address on your driver’s license to the new address at which you most recently registered to vote. The Secretary of State’s Office will send you a sticker for the back of your driver’s license reflecting the change in address.

Chris Swope says: I am not qualified to answer this question.

7. I registered to vote in my government class (or with a voter drive) but I am now living outside of the area where I registered to vote. Can I vote absentee?

Mary Helmbrecht says: There is not a cut and dried answer to this question. Registering to vote through your Government Class makes me “assume” you are a newly registered first time voter. Michigan law requires first time voters to have either (1) registered “in person” at one of the locations mentioned in question #1, OR, (2) to vote “in person” the first time they vote. So, if you registered in your government class (not one of the locations noted above) and you have never voted in the state of Michigan, you are required to either (1) Vote IN PERSON or, if wishing to vote absentee, you must appear at the Clerk’s Office “in person” to complete the absentee ballot application.

Chris Swope says: If you moved less than 60 days before the election, and have not registered by the close of registration in your new location, you can vote by absentee ballot if you have ever voted before in Michigan; if you have never voted in Michigan and registered “by mail,” you must vote in person your first time (exceptions apply to those 60 or older, persons with a disability, and military and overseas citizens). If you have permanently moved from the location where you registered to vote more than 60 days before the election, you must register in your new location and are not eligible to vote at the old location by absentee ballot or in person. If it has been less than 60 days and you registered to vote at the new location by the close of registration, you must vote at the new location, not the old.

8. What qualifies a person to vote absentee?

Mary Helmbrecht says: You are 60 years of age or more, you expect to be out of your community on Election Day, you are working at the polls on election day (in a precinct other than your own), or you are temporarily living overseas.

Chris Swope says: In Michigan, you may vote by absentee ballot if: 1) you are 60 years of age or older; 2) you are physically unable to attend the polls without the assistance of another; 3) you expect to be absent from the community for the entire time the polls are open on Election Day; 4) you cannot attend the polls because of the tenets of your religion; 5) you are an appointed precinct worker in a precinct other than the precinct where you reside; 6) you cannot attend the polls because you are confined to jail awaiting arraignment or trial. However, if you have never voted in Michigan and registered “by mail,” you must vote in person your first time (exceptions apply to those 60 or older, persons with a disability, and military and overseas citizens).

9. A record turnout for voting is expected this year. What are the rules under which you as clerks will seek to keep polls open past the polling time?

Mary Helmbrecht says: Michigan Law allows anyone in line at 8:00 p.m. on election evening to cast their ballot, regardless of the time it takes for the line to be completed. Individuals arriving at the polling location after 8:00 p.m. will not be eligible to vote despite the fact that voting for those who were in line at 8:00 continues beyond 8:00 p.m.

Chris Swope says: Anyone in line at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day may vote. A court order would be needed to extend this time.

10. What are the polling times?

Mary Helmbrecht says: Polling locations are open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm on November 4th. No one may vote before 7:00 a.m. and no one entering the polling location after 8:00 will be permitted to vote.

Chris Swope says: Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

11. How do I verify where I am registered to vote?

Mary Helmbrecht says: You may verify where you are registered to vote (within the state of Michigan) by the following methods.

By contacting the Ingham County Clerk, your City or Township Clerk or by logging on to www.michigan.gov/vote.

Chris Swope says: Go to michigan.gov/vote.

12. I was convicted of a crime in Michigan, but I have done my time and I am now out. Am I eligible to vote?

Mary Helmbrecht says: Yes.

Chris Swope says: If you are no longer confined to prison, you are eligible.

13. I turn 18 on Oct. 10. Can I still register to vote?

Mary Helmbrecht says: You are eligible to register and vote on November 4th IF you turn 18 by or on November 4th.

Chris Swope says: Yes, you may register if you will turn 18 on or before Election Day.

14. What should I do if I am challenged at the polls? 15. What exactly is a poll challenge, and how is it carried out?

Mary Helmbrecht says: Bringing your driver’s license or MI issued identification card with you to the polls will alleviate a multitude of issues which could arise at the polls. Generally speaking, a challenger at the polls has come to a particular precinct with a list of individuals believed to be ineligible to vote in that particular precinct. Having your picture identification with you will speed the process.

Chris Swope did not answer these questions.