Register to Vote by Tuesday for the General Election in St. Clair Shores

The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 6 general election is just hours away.

St. Clair Shores residents have until Oct. 9 to register at Clerk's office in City Hall (open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.), at a Secretary of State branch office (hours vary per branch), at the Macomb County Clerk's office (open 8 a.m.- midnight Tuesday) or by mail. In order to vote, you must:

• be 18 years or older on or before election day
• be a citizen of the U.S.
• have lived in Michigan for at least 30 days
• be registered on or before the close of registration

If you are not sure if you are registered, visit www.michigan.gov/vote to determine your status.

Voter applications are available at the offices listed above as well as online at www.Michigan.gov/sos. 

• If you hand-deliver your application, the staff person helping will take your form and you don't need to do anything else.
• If you have never registered to vote in Michigan and choose to mail in your application, you will need to meet an identification requirement, meaning you must enter your driver's license number or personal ID card number where requested on the form or send a photocopy with your app of your driver's license, personal ID, paycheck stub, utility bill, bank document or government document that lists both your name and your address.

Voter registration records may be verified by contacting the St. Clair Shores City Clerk at 586-447-3303 or the County Election division at 586-469-5209.

County Clerk to stay open late

If you are a procrastinator, the Macomb County Clerk/Register of Deeds Carmella Sabaugh announced she will keep her office open until midnight Tuesday to accept voter registration forms. The County Clerk's office is located in the Macomb County Court Building, 40 North Main, Mount Clemens, north of Cass Avenue, between Northbound Gratiot and Main Street.
 
“So far we have over 15,000 new Macomb County voters registered since January and interest is high,” said Sabaugh, said in a release. “Every citizen should register to vote no matter who you plan to vote for.”
 
There are nearly 614,000 registered voters in Macomb County, according to Sabaugh. In the last presidential election in 2008, there were 610,000 registered voters in Macomb County. 

Absentee ballots

St. Clair Shores residents may apply for an absentee ballot for the election at the city clerk's office by mail, fax or request an application by phone or email. Applications are also available for download. The first round of ballots were mailed Oct. 1.

You can receive an absentee ballot if:

• You are unable to vote without assistance.
• You are 60 or older.
• You expect to be absent from the city on Election Day.
• You are in jail, awaiting arraignment or trial.
• You have been assigned to work as a precinct worker in a precinct other than where you are registered.
• You are unable to attend the polls because of religious beliefs.

If you are temporarily outside the United States, you can use a federal postcard application (FPCA) to apply for an absent voter ballot. The FPCA must be signed under oath unless you, your spouse or your parents are serving in the armed forces or merchant marine.

All ballots must be back to the clerk's office by 8 p.m. Nov. 6, Election Day.