Applications for Absentee Ballots Available for Michigan Presidential Primary

Macomb Township residents wishing to vote by absentee ballot in Michigan's 2012 Presidential Primary are encouraged to mail their absent voter ballot application to the township clerk as soon as possible.

The state's primary is Feb. 28.

Because Macomb Township does not have additional items on its ballot, voters will be asked only to select a presidential nominee.

As a registered voter, you may obtain an absentee voter ballot if you are:

• age 60 years old or older
• unable to vote without assistance at the polls
• expecting to be out of town on election day
• in jail awaiting arraignment or trial
• unable to attend the polls due to religious reasons
• appointed to work as an election inspector in a precinct outside of your precinct of residence.

Download: Absent Voter Ballot Application / Ballot Selection Form for February 28, 2012 Presidential Primary

In completing the absent voter application, voters must choose to receive a Republican Party presidential primary ballot or a Democratic Party presidential primary ballot.

For those choosing the latter, the choice is fairly straightforward as President Barack Obama is the only candidate seeking the party’s nomination.

On the Republican side, the names of 11 candidates will appear on the ballot. This list includes two who have already suspended their campaigns, and some who will have dropped out of the campaign by the date of Michigan's primary.

The official ballot for the Michigan Republican Primary lists the following: Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Gary Johnson, Fred Karger, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum.

Romney won the Republican nomination in Michigan's 2008 primary with 338,316 votes.

Mail or Deliver Absent Voter Application

The absent voter applications can be mailed to the township clerk or delivered personally to the office of the clerk:

Michael D. Koehs, CMC, Clerk, 54111 Broughton Road, Macomb, MI 48042 

Absent voter ballot applications must be received by the clerk by 2 p.m. Feb. 25.