Elections

With the passage of Proposal 18-3 in November 2018, voter registration and voting by absentee ballot procedures have changed. Please read information below.

Voter Registration

To find out if and where you are registered, go to https://webapps.sos.state.mi.us/mivote/ Once you have registered to vote, you do not need to re-register for each election unless you move.

Mail-In and Online Voter Registration:

You may register by mail by filling out and mailing in your voter registration form. To be eligible to vote in any election, you must have mailed your voter registration in more than two weeks before the election. When mailing in your form, you need to provide additional information/proof of identity along with your form. Please read the registration form carefully to ensure that you have everything needed. Online voter registration is not available in Michigan.

In-Person Voter Registration:

You may register in person at any Secretary of State office, or at the township office (open M, W, Th, F from 8 am – 4 pm). To be eligible to vote in any election, registration at the Secretary of State office must occur more than two weeks before the election.

Election Day Voter Registration:

You may register to vote in person at the township office any time the office is open, even on Election Day. However, to avoid the busyness of Election Day, we recommend you register beforehand. If you register at the township office less than two weeks before any Election (including on Election Day), you must provide a valid state or federal ID, along with proof of residency (like a utility bill or bank statement with your name and an Olive Township address on it).

Voting

With No Reason Absentee Voting now allowed, any registered voter can choose to vote by Absentee Ballot for any election. Or, registered voters can request to be put on the Permanent Absentee Voter (AV) List.

NOTE: Michigan law requires ALL ABSENTEE VOTING to be a 2-step process.

  • Voters request an APPLICATION for a ballot, which they fill out and submit to the township office.
  • Voters are mailed a BALLOT which they can then vote and return to the township office.

Absentee Ballots for Individual Elections:

If you would like to vote by Absentee Ballot for a specific election, please call the office (786-9996) to let us know that. We will mail you an application. You will need to drop off the application or mail it in once you have it filled out. At that point, a ballot will be mailed to you. Voted absentee ballots should be mailed back with a forever stamp—no extra postage is needed. Don’t forget to sign the envelope! The township hall will also be open from 8 am – 4 pm the Saturday before each election to allow you to vote by absentee ballot. Absentee ballots must be returned by 8 pm on Election Day to be counted.

Permanent Absentee Voter (AV) List:

If you would like to vote by Absentee Ballot for ALL elections, please call the office (786-9996) to let us know that. Just voting once by absentee ballot does not mean you will be placed on the permanent list—you must make a special one-time request for this. When you request to be on the Permanent AV list, you will automatically receive an application for every election. But you must fill out the application each time if you want to receive a ballot.

Voting in Person:

Both Precinct 1 (West Ottawa School District) and Precinct 2 (Zeeland School District) vote at the township office, located at 6480 -136th Avenue. Polls are open from 7 am – 8 pm on Election Day.