Voter and Election Information

The Clerk's office will begin mailing absentee ballots about 40 days before the election. If you have submitted an application (either a one time or permanent application), watch for the ballot to arrive about a month before the election or a week after you submitted your application. If you haven't received it by two weeks prior to the election, please contact or come into the office for assistance. Voters can check www.mi.gov/vote to see the date that your ballot is mailed.

After you send the ballot back, you can confirm the date it's recorded as having been received at our office. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND RETURNING THE BALLOT PERSONALLY TO A HIGHLAND DROP BOX. Ballots must be received at the Township by 8pm on Election Day in order to be counted.
Questions? Contact the clerks at 248-887-3791 x 5 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

1) Get your voting information from a reliable source (Clerks office or Michigan Secretary of State).
2) Confirm that your voter registration is up to date.
3) Start the absentee process as early as possible.
4) Send a ballot application to the Clerk in the community you are registered in (if you haven't already submitted a permanent application).
5) If your ballot doesn't arrive in a timely manner, contact the Clerk to resolve the issue.
6) Read and follow all instructions at each step of the process.
7) Return your ballot in person if possible via one of the Township drop boxes (unless you prefer to bring it to the early voting site or election day precinct for tabulation).
8) Return your ballot as early as possible.
9) Sign the ballot envelope (*read below for more info).
10) Verify that the Clerks have received your ballot at Mi.gov/vote
11) Contact the Clerk's office if you have any questions.

At Mi.gov/vote you can find information on voter registration, absentee applications, clerk contact details, drop box details, and ballot tracking.
When you get to the site, first click on "Your Voter Information" and complete the form. The ballot tracking info is posted about a day after the Clerks record it as received. The system sometimes updates slowly due to high traffic volumes.

*The signature will be checked to see if it looks like the one we have on file. This is normally the signature as it appears on your driver's license or state ID. Middle names or initials are not required. If a ballot is returned without a signature or if the signature does not match, we will attempt to contact the voter to resolve the issue. This takes time, so it's best if ballots are returned early. It's helpful if voters provide their phone number and/or email address on the absentee application for this purpose.

On election day, the absentee counting board is required to tabulate the number of ballots that are recorded as having been received.

Voters are invited to review the security and accuracy checks that are followed by the election administration officials which help us to feel confident in the election results:  https://bit.ly/MichElectionSecurity

Highland Township voters with questions can contact us at 248-887-3791 x 5 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

You can return it immediately. If it is a primary election you may want to wait to make sure your candidate remains in the race prior to voting and returning your ballot.
We recommend voters return their ballot to one of the Highland drop boxes. If you need to return it by mail, a minimum of 2 weeks time should be allowed for delivery. Bottom line is: return it as early as possible. Voters can confirm that their ballot has been received by the clerks at www.mi.gov/vote
Questions? Contact the clerks at 248-887-3791 x 5 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

These terms apply only to the partisan part of your ballot in a General Election (not a Primary):
Voters may quickly vote a Straight Ticket for all candidates of one political party. Vote for all by marking your ballot for one party.

OR you can Split your Ticket by overriding their Straight Ticket choice for any office. Each candidate under the party selected will receive a vote except where superseded by a direct vote for a candidate. NOTE: if you vote for candidates of more than one political party in a primary election, none of your partisan selections will be counted.

OR you can vote a Mixed Ticket by selecting each office individually and not selecting a party.
If you vote a "straight ticket," only the partisan offices are included. The following offices (at the state level) are not included: Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Although Supreme Court candidates are usually nominated by political parties, their names appear on the "nonpartisan" portion of the ballot.

For more in-depth info about straight ticket voting, click here:
https://highlandtwp.net/images//OptionsforStraightTicket.pdf

Here's a video that explains your options for filling in your ballot:  https://youtu.be/n483tnkddoE?si=dDwpN0PPDAvuT2TO

Questions or Concerns? Contact the Clerks 248-887-3791 x 5 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.