SAGINAW, MI — An early-vote alternative to absentee ballots appears to be making an impact.
A nine-day option to vote early in person near the Saginaw County Governmental Center is drawing about 1,000 registered citizens per day. The site remains open daily through Nov. 5, including Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 618 Cass behind the courthouse, with free parking in the county jail lot.
When someone votes absentee, the deadline to request the ballot-by-mail is 15 days ahead. This year was Oct. 21. If someone was late, in the past they would have been out of luck. Early voting aims to resolve the deadline dilemma.
In addition, with an absentee ballot to be mailed back or dropped off with the local clerk, the citizen loses the experience of visiting a poll site. At 618 Cass, the environment is the same as any precinct, right on down to placing one’s ballot in a tabulator.
Early votes are not counted early. They are compiled on election night, the same as all others.
Saginaw County officially is home to 160,000 registered voters, rounded off, in a population of 187,000 that includes 26,000 K-12 pupils in public, parochial and charter schools. The numbers indicate that the rolls are inflated with deceased individuals and people who have moved from prior addresses. Local clerks report that they lack staffing to “clean up” the rolls, but the system prevents scofflaws from voting in someone else’s name — absentee, early or on election day.
