You may receive text messages such as the one shown at right. It appears that the State of Michigan sent that text without prior notice to any local or County clerks.
Please know that the City of Pleasant Ridge will never text message you about any election-related issues. We only communicate via USPS, or by email in certain limited instances.
Also, please be aware that we will not mail you a voter registration form. Special interest groups can FOIA voter databases from the County and mail registration forms to you. If you have any questions about any unexpected election-related communications you receive via mail, email, or text please call us at 248-541-2901.
Two documents for the February 27, 2024 Presidential Primary have been mailed out: permanent absentee voter ballot selection forms, and absentee voter applications.
Permanent Absentee Voter Ballot Selection Form
With the passage of proposal 2 in November 2022, Michigan voters can choose to be on a permanent absentee voter list and automatically receive a ballot for each election without having to apply each election.
Normally, we will mail voters on the permanent absentee voter list a ballot. However, for Presidential Primary elections there are two separate ballots, one for each party. Voters may only participate in one primary, so each voter must request which ballot you would like to receive – Democratic or Republican.
The form you will receive if you are already on the permanent absentee voter list will look like the one shown at right.
Please note that these are open primaries, and any voter can participate in either primary, regardless of party affilication or non-affiliation.
If you are not on the permanent absentee voter list but would like to be, please see the next section.
Absentee Voter Application
If you are on the permanent voter absentee voter application list, you will be receiving an absentee voter ballot application form. The form looks like the one shown at right.
This application form was created by the State for use by all local governments in Michigan, and there are a few things to be aware of:
- You may choose to receive ballots for the February, August, and November elections in the area outlined in green. There is also a choice for a May election, however, there is currently not a May election scheduled in Pleasant Ridge. If you choose the May box, you will not receive a ballot for that non-existent election.
- Be sure to choose which ballot you want for the February Presidential Primary! There are choices for Democratic, Republican, and a ballot without a Presidential Primary in the orange highlighted area.
- Do not choose the Ballot without Presidential Primary. This option is for locations where there are other items on the ballot other than the Presidential Primary. There are no other questions on the February ballot in Pleasant Ridge, so there is no ballot for the third option.
Please note the check box at the top right hand corner of the application form (the area we have outlined in blue). You can choose to join the permanent absentee voter list and you will be sent a ballot for each election without having to apply.
You can also apply for an absentee ballot AND join the permanent absentee voter list online at: https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/AVApplication/Index
Absentee ballot applications for the November 7, 2023 election are now available. If you have previously registered to be on the permanent application list, an application has been mailed to you. If you have not yet received your application, it will be coming soon.
With recent election law changes in Michigan, you can now use your application to be added to the NEW Permanent Ballot List. If you check the box on the application to be added to the permanent ballot list, a ballot will be automatically mailed to you for every election in the future.*
Registered voters with a Michigan ID can also request an absentee ballot online at: https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/AVApplication/Index
Learn more about Michigan’s new voting rules and options at the Michigan Voter Information Center.
* Please note that Michigan has an open presidential primary system where voters can choose to vote in either party’s primary, regardless of your party affilication (or lack thereof). The Secretary of State has not yet issued guidance on how the permanent absentee ballot system will work for presidential primary elections given that there will be two ballots voters much choose from. We will share that information once we receive it from the state.