Absentee Ballot Information                                                  New rights for Michigan voters now in effect: 

All eligible and registered voters in Michigan now may request an absentee ballot without providing a reason and vote early as a result of the passage of the statewide ballot proposal 18-3 in November 2018. Ballots will be counted on Election Day.

NEW! Sign up to join the City’s Permanent Absentee Voter List

Registered voters who wish to vote by absentee ballot can sign up to automatically receive an application by mail for each election. Signing up for the Permanent Absentee Voter List is fast, easy, and will save you time previously spent waiting in line or having to contact the Clerk’s office by phone or e-mail to request an application. 

By joining the Permanent Absentee Voter List, you will receive an application to vote by absentee ballot before each election. Complete the application, turn it in, and then receive your absentee ballot by mail before the election. Don’t want to vote absentee? Simply throw the application away and head to the polls on Election Day.

Click here to sign up for the Permanent Absentee Voter List

To obtain a ballot prior to Election Day:

• Drop off your ballot request in person at your township or city clerk’s office no later than 4 p.m. the Monday before Election Day.
• Mail the application, a letter or a pre-printed application form obtained from your local clerk's office. Requests to have a ballot mailed to you must be received by your clerk no later than 5 p.m. the Friday before the election. USPS may take up to five business days to deliver your ballot.

After receiving your ballot, you have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to complete the ballot and return it to the clerk’s office. It will be counted with other ballots on Election Day.  When returning an absentee ballot by US Mail, please use the inside envelope provided and place Two First Class Postage Stamps on that envelope.  Remember to sign the outside of your return envelope in the space indicated; your ballot will not be accepted without it! TRACK YOUR BALLOT HERE! If an emergency, such as a sudden illness or family death prevents you from reaching the polls on Election Day, you may have someone deliver your request for an emergency absentee ballot to your city or township clerk’s office before 4 p.m. on Election Day. Requests for an emergency ballot must be submitted after the deadline for regular ballots (5 p.m. the Friday before the election) but before 4 p.m. on Election Day. The emergency must have occurred at a time which made it impossible for you to apply for a regular ballot. Emergency ballots must be returned to the clerk’s office by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

The State of Michigan requires a voter who is receiving his or her own ballot in person at the Clerk's Office to present a valid photo ID or sign an affidavit. Valid forms of ID are the same as required at the polls on Election Day and include:

• Driver's license or personal identification card
• Federal or state government-issued photo identification
• US passport
• Military identification card with photo
• Student identification from a high school or accredited institution of higher learning with photo
• Tribal identification with photo

If a voter does not have a valid photo ID, the voter will be asked to sign an affidavit stating that he or she is not in possession of a valid ID. If the affidavit is signed, the voter will be issued a ballot.

State law does not allow one person to pick up a ballot for another person. If an individual returns an application for an absentee ballot on behalf of another, that ballot will be mailed to the voter.

For more information contact the City Clerk's Office at (269) 966-3348, or access the Secretary of State's Web site where you can view your sample ballot for the upcoming election, track the status of your absentee ballot and verify your voter registration information.

Election Inspector

The City of Battle Creek is looking for people to work the polls on Election Day. By serving as an Election Inspector, residents can serve their community and earn extra income at the same time!
 
                                


Responsibilities
Inspectors will be stationed at 1 of 21 precincts (PDF) throughout the city and will be responsible for opening the precinct on Election Day, ensuring that voters are registered and are voting in the proper precinct, assigning ballots, assisting voters and closing the polls. Election Inspectors are paid for working on Election Day and will also receive additional payment for attending mandatory training prior to Election Day. The City is currently looking for Election Inspectors, Chairpersons, and Computer Operators.

Apply

A precinct Election Inspector for the City of Battle Creek shall be a qualified and registered elector of the state of Michigan, shall have a good reputation, and shall have sufficient education and clerical ability to perform the duties of the office. Anyone, ages 16 & 17 can also serve as an Election Inspector with a valid work permit.  An Inspector cannot be a challenger, candidate, member of a candidate's immediate family, or a member of the local Board of Canvassers. Anyone convicted of a felony or an election crime may not serve.  
A person must file an application in his own handwriting to the City Clerk at least 45 days prior to the election they wish to serve.

• Election Inspector Application (PDF)
• Under 18 Election Inspector Application with Work Permit (PDF)  **Please note that the last four (4) pages of this application MUST be printed in color or on yellow paper.
• State of Michigan Combined Offer of Employment and Work Permit/Age Certificate

To work any upcoming elections, please fill out the application and return it, along with a copy of your driver's license or state ID to:

The City Clerk's Office
10 N Division Street
Suite 111
Battle Creek, MI 49014

​Inspector Resources:

City of Battle Creek Election Inspector Training Presentation 
City of Battle Creek EPB Training Presentation
Processing AV Ballots in the Precinct
BOE Training:  Election Inspectors' Procedure Manual
BOE Training:  Election Day Issues

The Bureau of Elections also has training videos available to view on their YouTube channel.  View the BOE channel here.

Military and Overseas voters:

The Federal Voting Assistance Program works to ensure Service members, their eligible family members and overseas citizens are aware of their right to vote and have the tools and resources to successfully do so - from anywhere in the world.
You may use the Federal Post Card Application to register to vote and/or request an absentee ballot.  This form will allow you to receive an absentee ballot for all elections in the calendar year it was submitted.  You can chose to have the ballot e-mailed to you or sent to you via regular mail.  Submitting a VOTED ballot electronically, however, is not allowed. 

Please contact our office at (269) 966-3348 or visit     if you have further questions.

Voter Registration

Individuals are eligible to register to vote if they meet the following qualifications:

• At least 18 years of age by Election Day
• A resident of the State of Michigan and a 30-day resident of the City of Battle Creek
• A United States citizen

Visit the Secretary of State’s website to see if you are already registered to vote. If you are not already registered, fill out the Registration Application (PDF) and return the Clerk's Office or register online here (to use this convenient website, visitors must currently have a Michigan Driver’s License or Personal Identification Card and qualify to vote in the state of Michigan (i.e., citizen, age, residency)).
 

Voters may register in person, online or by mail up to 15 days prior to an election. You may register to vote by mail, at the Office of the City Clerk or at any Michigan Secretary of State Branch Office. 

Voters may also register within 14 days of an election, up to and including Election Day, only through the following:

1. Must be done in person at the Office of the City Clerk, and
2. Must show proof of residency in addition to proof of identity (or an ID that proves both).

Documents that may be accepted if additional proof of residency is required (these items must
include the applicant’s name and current address): • a current utility bill • bank statement • paycheck • government check • other government document.

By law, voters must be 30-day residents of a jurisdiction to be qualified to vote in that jurisdiction.

Crimes & Felonies
Attention registered voters who have been convicted and sentenced for a crime and are in confinement as a result of that conviction and sentencing: You may not vote during the time you are in confinement. Confinement is defined by Michigan Department of Prisons for the purpose of voting as incarcerated in jail or prison, under house arrest, on a tether or serving in a work release program.

Your voting rights are restored once you have completed your sentence, even if you have been convicted and sentenced for a felony charge. If you are charged with a crime, but not convicted or sentenced, you may vote even if you are in jail.

Contact the City Clerk's office at 269-966-3348 for directions on applying for an absentee ballot for the election you wish to vote in. If your sentencing prevents you from entering public school grounds and your precinct voting location is located in a school, please contact the City Clerk's office about voting absentee ballot.