News Article

Archived News Release: October 22, 2020 - ​*UPDATE 10/30/2020: Addition of county community leaders election safety news release link.   The Statewide General Election is Tuesday, Nov. 3; and city polling places will be open 7 a.m.–8 p.m. Registered voters in line by 8 p.m. will be eligible to vote. To locate your ward and/or polling place, and to view your ballot, go online to the Michigan Voter Information web page at www.michigan.gov/vote. All Ann Arbor polling places are accessible to persons with disabilities. The list of precinct polling places can be found online at www.a2gov.org/departments/city-clerk/Elections/Documents/Precinct%20Polling%20Places%20March%2010%2c%202020.pdf. 

Voters must show their photo ID to vote. Those who do not have an acceptable photo ID will be required to sign an affidavit in order to vote.

Election Day safety i​​nformation

• Voters who vote in person on Election Day are encouraged to wear masks. In accordance with state and county health orders, all other persons, including election inspectors, will be required to wear masks at polling places on Election Day. Physical distancing and other protective measures will be in place to ensure all voters can safely cast their votes.
  

• * Washtenaw County Community Leaders Joint Statement on Election Integrity, Polling Location Safety and Community Safety Post Election​ (PDF). 
  

Election Day line track​​er

Voters who choose not to vote absentee can check the number of people waiting in line at their city polling places and view estimated wait times before they head to the polls. Line counts and projected wait times will be reported in real time by the election inspectors at each polling place. Find the Election Day line tracker at www.a2gov.org/departments/city-clerk/Elections/Pages/Line-Tracker.aspx. The line tracker also includes images of each polling place as well as links to maps and directions.

New this election, voters can also check wait times on Monday, Nov. 2, and Tuesday, Nov. 3, for voter registration at the city clerk's office and satellite office using the line tracker, www.a2gov.org/departments/city-clerk/Elections/Pages/Line-Tracker.aspx.

Voter r​​egistration

• *Voter registration by mail ended Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. Those wishing to register must now do so in person at the city clerk's office or the city clerk's satellite office at University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA). (See addresses and hours below.)

• Voter registration may occur up until 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.

• Voters registering to vote within 14 days of an election will be required to provide proof of residency.

• Check your voter registration status, absentee ballot status and view sample ballots at the online Michigan voter information center: www.michigan.gov/vote. 

• Those who wish to register to vote in the General Election can still do so in person at the *Ann Arbor City Clerk's office or the city clerk's satellite office at the UMMA with proof of residency. The city clerk's office is on the second floor of Larcom City Hall, 301 E. Huron St. On-street or lot parking is located on Ann Street, east of Fifth Avenue. The U-M satellite office is in the UMMA Stenn Gallery on the first floor, at 525 S. State St.

• The city hall office will have special hours, in addition to its 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday regular hours, leading up to the Presidential Election:

• Wednesdays in October: 8 a.m.–7 p.m.

• Saturdays, Oct. 24 and Oct. 31: 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

• Tuesday, Nov. 3: 7 a.m.–8 p.m.

• The satellite city clerk's office will also be open to register to vote and to request and return absentee ballots with the following hours until Tuesday, Nov. 3:

• 10 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

• 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturdays, Oct. 24 and Oct. 31. 

• 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2.

• 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 3.
  

Check wait times on Monday, Nov. 2, and Tuesday, Nov. 3, for voter registration at the city clerk's office and satellite office using the line tracker, www.a2gov.org/departments/city-clerk/Elections/Pages/Line-Tracker.aspx.

Absente​​​e voting

Why wait until Election Day to vote? And why wait in line at your polling place to vote on Election Day? Vote from home, at your convenience, instead. Absentee ballots are now available to all voters, with no reason required. Here's how to vote absentee:

• Request an absentee ballot! If you wish to vote absentee and do not yet have an absentee ballot, you must turn in an absentee ballot application in order to receive one. The application is available at the city clerk's office or online at www.a2gov.org/elections to print, fill out and return by mail or in person at the city clerk's office or satellite office. Do not put ballot applications in the drop boxes.

• There are several options to obtain an absentee ballot:

• Apply online at https://Michigan.gov./vote. 

• Call to request an application be sent by mail: 734.794.6140.

• Apply in person at the city clerk's office or satellite office.

• Ballots issued in person are only given to the voter. Spouses and family members may return applications, but may not pick up the unvoted ballots for each other.

• Fill out, print, sign and return the online application form, https://www.michigan.gov/documents/sos/AVApp_535884_7.pdf, to the city clerk via email [email protected],  U.S. mail or fax. An official form, however, is not required. Any written request for an absentee ballot, signed by the voter, will be accepted. Voters requesting and picking up absentee ballots in person at the city clerk's office will be subject to the Michigan voter identification requirement.

• Sign it! Be sure to sign the outside of the green ballot envelope, or your vote will not count.

• Use the green envelope! The absentee ballot return envelope has new look, with a white and green design. Ballots must be placed in the green return envelope (with your signature) to be valid.

• Return it! Drop it off in a secure City of Ann Arbor ballot box (https://www.a2gov.org/departments/city-clerk/Elections/Documents/offical_ballot_drop_box_map%202020.pdf – PDF), or mail it at least seven days before Election Day.

• New for this election, there are no stamps/postage needed on the City of Ann Arbor green return envelope. This is a postage-paid envelope.

• All ballots must be received by the city clerk's office by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3, in order to be counted. The Ann Arbor City Clerk's office continues to encourage voters to use the secure ballot drop boxes in the final weeks and days leading up to the election to ensure ballots are received by Election Day.

• Following is a list of all drop box locations (or view the map at https://www.a2gov.org/departments/city-clerk/Elections/Documents/offical_ballot_drop_box_map%202020.pdf (PDF)); directional signage at some outdoor locations will provide guidance to the boxes:

1. Larcom City Hall, 301 E. Huron St., always open — Located inside the building, at the north entrance.

2. Larcom City Hall, on Ann Street — Located outside the building by the customer service drop box, on the north side of Ann Street, just east of Fifth Avenue.

3. Veterans Memorial Park Ice Arena and Pool, 2150 Jackson Ave. — Parking lot.

4. Ann Arbor Fire Station 5, 1946 Beal Ave. — Outside.

5. Cobblestone Farm/Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Customer Service Center, 2781 Packard Road — Outside.

6. Ann Arbor Fire Station 6, 1881 Briarwood Circle — Northwest side of building, Eisenhower entrance, outside.

7. New satellite Ann Arbor City Clerk's Office: University of Michigan Museum of Art, 525 S. State St., 10 a.m.–7 p.m. only — Located inside in the Stenn Gallery on the first floor. Please note, entrance is permitted only following clearance from COVID-19 health screening, which will be conducted by personnel onsite. For more information on this satellite office, visit https://www.a2gov.org/news/pages/article.aspx?i=734.

• Watch “How to Vote Absentee" on CTN for a quick overview: https://youtu.be/6ga​Ky6VcEW0.

• Please note, new for this election, there are no stamps/postage needed on the green return envelope. This is a postage-paid envelope.

• More information can be found at www.a2gov.org/elections.
  

I vote​d!

Voters at polling places and absentee voters can show their participation with a uniquely Ann Arbor “I voted" sticker. There are four different stickers, each designed by an Ann Arbor community member, winners in the I Voted Sticker Design Contest held earlier this year. Digital badges can be found on the city website on Election Day to upload to their social media account(s). Go to www.a2gov.org/elections and select the “A2 votes" tab. Be sure to use #A2Votes when posting, and show your civic pride!

Please note, beginning Monday, Oct. 26, visitors to the city clerk's office at Larcom City Hall will use the exterior staircases, located on the north (Ann Street) and south (Huron Street) sides of the building, to access the second floor. Visitors who are unable to use the stairs may access the city hall elevators in the first floor lobby. All visitors will be expected to wear face coverings and to maintain 6 feet of distance from those outside of their households.

Additional information can be found on the city's elections website, www.a2gov.org/elections; and questions about elections in Ann Arbor may be directed to the city clerk's office at 734.794.6140, [email protected].

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