Getting ready to vote in the General Election - Registration, Absentee Ballot

First, make sure you are registered to vote. The deadline for registration is October 6 for the November 4 General Election. Go to the Secretary of State's web site and make sure you are registered and your address is correct.

If you are not registered to vote yet and want to vote using an absentee ballot, download both the Voter Registration form and the Absentee Ballot Request from the Secretary of State's web site and take them in person to the clerk's office of your city or township during their posted hours of operation.

If you are registered but have never voted in person at your designated polling place before, download the Absentee Ballot Request from the SoS website and take it in person to the clerk's office of your city or township during their posted hours of operation.

If you are registered and have voted at your designated polling place in the past, you can mail your Absentee Ballot Request form to the clerk of your city or township.

Did you know that if you are 60 years old or older by November 4, you can cast an absentee ballot for that reason alone? Or, if your work takes you to a community that is a distance from the one you live and vote in and there is a chance your work could keep you away from the community you vote in during polling hours on election day, consider requesting an absentee ballot.

Here's the list of all categories for requesting an absentee ballot plus some additional info from the Michigan Secretary of State's office:

"The statutory grounds on which you can base a request to vote absentee are:

□ I expect to be absent from the community in which I am registered for the entire time the polls are open on election day.
□ I am physically unable to attend the polls without the assistance of another.
□ I cannot attend the polls because of the tenets of my religion.
□ I have been appointed an election precinct inspector in a precinct other than the precinct where I reside.
□ I am 60 years of age or older.
□ I cannot attend the polls because I am confined to jail awaiting arraignment or trial.

Your request for an absentee voter ballot must be in writing and can be submitted to your city or township clerk. (For assistance in obtaining the address of your city or township clerk, see www.Michigan.gov/vote) Your request must include one of the six statutory reasons stated above and your signature. You must request an absentee voter ballot by mailing the online application, with a letter or post card, or you can obtain a pre-printed application form at your local clerk's office. Requests to have an absentee voter ballot mailed to you must be received by your clerk no later than 2 p.m. the Saturday before the election."