Election Information

Election Dates

State of Michigan Voter Information

Polls are open on election dates from 7 AM until 8 PM
in the Chassell Township Fire Hall.
Houghton County Election Results

Notice of Election for 2.27.24

Early voting for the Presidential Election
February 17-February 25, 2024 from 8 am -4 pm.
All registered voters can vote early at the
HOUGHTON CITY CENTER
616 Shelden Avenue, Houghton, Michigan 49931
Right Side of Street-Downtown Houghton
Phone: 906-482-1150
(For all Elections-The early voting period begins the second Saturday prior to Election Day and ends the Sunday before an election. However, communities may decide to provide additional days of early voting. Under state law, communities can offer up to 29 days of early voting.)

VOTER REGISTRATION

Township residents can register to vote in-person at the Clerk’s Office during regular business hours through 8 pm on Election Day. Voters registering to vote in-person during the last 14 days prior to an Election will be required to provide proof of residency.

Voters who have moved within the Chassell Township can update their address at any Secretary of State Branch Office, online, or in-person at the Clerk’s Office.

ACCESSIBLE VOTING

Ballot marking devices are available to all voters with special accommodations for hearing, visual, physical and other disabilities. This provides voters the opportunity to independently vote a ballot in complete privacy. This terminal marks the voter’s selections on paper that becomes their ballot. Voters can select their choices using a touch screen. Personal adaptives may also be used to assist voters in making their selections. The completed ballot is then fed into a tabulator, which scans and records the votes.

Every Michigan voter who offers to vote at the polls must show picture identification or sign an affidavit attesting they are not in possession of picture identification. (MCL 168.523) Voters can satisfy the ID requirement by showing a Michigan driver’s license or a Michigan personal identification card. Voters who do not possess either document may show any of the following forms of picture ID as long as it is current:

  • Driver’s license or personal ID card from another state
  • Federal or state government-issued photo ID
  • U.S. passport
  • Military identification card with photo
  • Student identification card with photo
  • Tribal identification card with photo

IMPORTANT – Voters without ID will not be turned away on Election Day. Michigan Election law anticipates not all voters will have picture ID. Voters who do not have acceptable picture ID can vote like any other voter by signing an affidavit.

POLLING LOCATION
Residents vote at their assigned polling place for every election unless notified by mail of an alternate location. Residents can check their polling location information via the Michigan Voter Information site.

WAYS TO VOTE IN MICHIGAN
With the passage of Proposal 2 in November of 2022, there are three (3) different
ways you can vote:
1. Early Voting. Proposal 2 requires 9 days of early voting for Federal and State elections including two weekends. Starting in 2024, whenever there is a Federal or State election there will be an early voting site in Houghton County open for 9 days prior to Election Day. The site will be open for 8 hours (8:00 am until 4:00 pm) each day (including the two weekends prior to Election Day). Voters can cast their ballot in the tabulator just like on Election Day. Once you put your ballot through the tabulator, you cannot revote if your candidate withdraws or is removed from the ballot for
whatever reason. The Early Voting Site for all 2024 elections in Houghton County will be
at: Houghton City Center, 616 Shelden Avenue, Room 203, Houghton.
The site is accessible with an elevator; OR
2. Permanent Ballot List. Currently, voters who are on the permanent absentee application list have until the end of 2024 to decide if they want to be on the Permanent Ballot List. The permanent absentee application list will no longer exist at the end of 2024. Voters who prefer to vote with an absentee voter ballot, can request in writing to be placed on the Permanent Ballot List or check the appropriate box on an application in 2024. This means you will be mailed a ballot prior to each election without having to fill out an Application for Absent Voter Ballot like you do now. If a voter chooses to be placed on the Permanent Ballot List, the voter is responsible to let the clerk know at least 45 days prior to the election if they need the ballot sent to a different address as the Post Office will NOT forward ballots. It will be the voter’s responsibility to communicate with their Clerk to make sure ballots are sent to the correct address; OR
3. Vote in the Precinct on Election Day. For voters who prefer to vote in
person on Election Day, the polls will still be open from 7:00 am until 8:00
pm on Election Day.

ABSENT VOTER BALLOT

An Absentee Voter Ballot Application can be requested by

  • Apply online https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/AVApplication/Index
  • Mailing a request letter or postcard to the Clerk’s Office
  • Picking up an application from the Clerk’s Office
  • By calling the township office 906-523-4000
  • Faxing your request to 906-523-9267
  • Emailing your request to chasselltownshipclerk@gmail.com

Please include your name and return address in your written request to the Chassell Township Clerk’s office. Please return all completed applications to:

Chassell Township Clerk
PO Box 438
Chassell, MI 49916

Applications for absentee ballots are accepted by mail beginning 75 days prior to each election. Registered voters can apply for an absentee ballot by mail until the Friday just prior to the election. Registered voters can also apply for and vote an absentee ballot in person at the Clerk’s Office during regular business hours beginning forty days before each election or during special hours on the last Saturday before each election. The final deadline to apply for an absentee ballot in person is 4 pm, the Monday before each election.

The Clerk is available by appointment for voter registration and absentee ballot requests on the Saturday before each election from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Voters registering to vote within 14 days of an election will be required to provide proof of residency.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Voters requesting and picking up absentee ballots in person at the Clerk’s Office will be subject to the Michigan voter identification requirement. Ballots issued in person are only given to the voter. Spouses and family members may return applications, but may not pick up ballots for each other.

You may also place the completed applications in the grey drop box located on the parking lot of Superior National Bank Building.

Absentee Ballot Application (HTML)
Federal Post Card Application (PDF) 

Election Inspectors

We’re Always Looking for New Election Inspectors

Are you looking for an opportunity to serve your community? Why not consider working as an election inspector? City and township clerks are always seeking Election Day assistance.

Election inspectors are paid to assist voters at the polls on Election Day. Some of their responsibilities include checking voters’ registration records and recording that they voted, distributing ballots, assisting voters, and maintaining order within the voting precinct.

An election inspector must be a registered voter in the State.  An inspector cannot be a challenger, a candidate for nomination or election to any office on the ballot, or a member of a candidate’s immediate family.  Immediate family is defined as the individual’s father, mother, brother, sister, spouse, or any relative residing in the same household with that person. In addition, anyone convicted of a felony or an election crime may not be an inspector.

The first three inspectors appointed to serve on a precinct board must be 18 years of age or older. Additional inspectors appointed to the board may be high school students 16 or 17 years of age. With the exception of being qualified and registered voters, students must meet all of the other requirements. They are also required to receive permission from their school and are subject to the provisions of child labor laws. Students cannot serve as precinct chairpersons; however, the addition of younger workers provides more flexibility in manning the polls on Election Day and allows young people an opportunity to see democracy in action. They also add energy and enthusiasm to the voting precincts on Election Day.

Please contact the Chassell Township Clerk’s Office, at (906) 523-4000 or email chasselltownshipclerk@gmail.com, to request an election inspector application and/or to seek additional information. It’s a very rewarding experience, and training is provided prior to Election Day.

Election Inspector Application

Michigan Bureau of Elections Instructional Videos

Election Day Precinct Activities
Election Day Closing Procedures

Election Inspector Qualifications and Duties