ELECTIONS
Cooper Charter Township is accepting applications for Election Inspectors. If you would like to assist with the election process, please click to go to the Clerk’s Office Applications tab or contact the clerk’s office by calling 269-382-0223.
If interested in obtaining an Absent Voter Ballot Application, please visit the Clerk’s Applications tab.
Voting Information
1. Upcoming Cooper Township Elections
November 5, 2024 – General Election
- Absent Voter Ballots Available until 4pm on November 4th. Polls open on November 5, 2024 at 7am and close at 8pm
- Cooper Township intends to participate in pre-processing and tabulation of absent voter ballots on the Friday Saturday November 1st and 2nd from 8:30am – 4pm, at Cooper Township Hall, using 6 of the AVCB Election Inspectors. Any ballots received after that date will be processed and tabulated by the AVCB on November 5th – Election Day.
- County Wide “In Person Early Voting” is available for this election – starting October 26th and ending November 3rd. Early voting at these locations will be open to all Cooper Registered Voters from 9am – 5pm. Per new state law, you may also go there with your voted Absent Voter Ballot and place it in a tabulator to be counted.
- Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 2900 Lake St, Kalamazoo MI 49048
- Portage Parks & Recreation Building, 320 Library Lane, Portage MI 49002
- Fetzer Center at WMU, 2251 Business Ct., Kalamazoo MI 49008
- Douglass Community Center, 1000 W. Paterson St. Kalamazoo MI 49007
- Last Day to Register to Vote, other than in person with Township Clerk, is October 21st
2. Am I Registered? Where do I Vote? What’s on my Ballot? Who is My Clerk? Have you Mailed my Absent Voter Ballot? Have you Received my Absent Voter Ballot back?
All this information and so much more is available on the State of Michigan’s Voter Information Center Website. Just click on the “Check Your Voter Registration” box above, click on “Your Voter Information” and put a few pieces of information in to see all the above info!!
3. Absent Voter Ballot Process
Absent Voter Ballots are now available to all registered voters…no reason needed.
- Just call, email, or stop in and ask your Township Clerk for an application. The application is very simple.
- Return the application to the Clerks Office by mail, email, dropbox, or walk in.
- The Clerks Office will verify your signature with the State Voter File online signature.
- Once ballots have been tested by the County Clerks Office, printed by the vendor, and tested by the Township Clerks Office….your ballot will be mailed to you.
- After voting your ballot…you can then mail, dropbox, or walk your ballot back in to the Township Hall.
- The completed ballot envelope signature is verified with the State Voter File and is then received into the Qualified Voter File so that you can check online and see if we have received it! https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/
- Completed ballot envelopes are stored in the Township Vault until Election Morning.
- 4-6 Election Inspectors make up the Absent Voter Counting Board. The clerk delivers all the ballot envelopes to the Absent Voter Counting Board here at Township Hall. They use an assembly line process to open, unfold, stack, count, and enter the ballots into the tabulator. These vote totals are sent/taken to the county clerks office with all the totals from the precincts.
- Absent Voter Do’s and Dont’s
4. Permanent Absent Voter Ballot
If you enjoy voting via Absent Ballot, you can ask to be on the townships Perm Ballot List. This gets you the AV Ballot AUTOMATICALLY (no application needed) prior to every election you are eligible to vote in. Request an application from the Clerks office or just checkmark the box for permanent ballot on your current AV Application.
5. Notice for military and overseas civilian voters
Attention military and overseas civilian voters who are eligible to register and vote in Michigan!
New state and federal laws make it easier for military and overseas civilian voters to register and participate in elections. Under the new laws, military and overseas civilian voters can now receive a ballot by e-mail or fax to speed the voting process! (The voted ballot must be returned by mail for security purposes.)
Military and overseas civilian voters interested in obtaining ballots for the elections that will be held this year must request a ballot through their local city or township clerk. Requests for absentee ballots submitted prior to current year are no longer valid and cannot be processed. Under the new law, requests for ballots are good for every election held in the same calendar year in which the request is received. When submitting your request, be sure to indicate whether you would like to receive your ballot by mail, e-mail or fax.
Additional information including contact information for Michigan’s city and township clerks can be obtained through the Michigan Voter Information Center (MVIC) Web site maintained by the Michigan Department of State which is located at: www.Michigan.gov/vote. Click on “Military and Overseas Voters.”