One Week Left to Request Absentee Ballots for State Primary

With the state primary set to take place on Feb. 28, the deadline to vote by absentee ballot is now only one week away.

Macomb Township residents wishing to vote absentee have until 2 p.m. Feb. 25 to request an absentee ballot by mail. Completed absent voter ballot applications can be mailed to the township clerk or delivered personally to the : Michael D. Koehs, CMC, Clerk; 54111 Broughton Road, Macomb, MI 48042

The clerk's office must receive abentee ballots by mail or in-person delivery by 8 p.m. Feb. 28 for these votes to be counted.

Residents who miss the Feb. 25 application deadline may still vote absentee on Feb. 27, but must do so in person at the clerk's office.

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.

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 several who have already suspended their campaigns, and some whose names are unfamiliar to most Michigan voters.

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, Buddy Roemer, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. Voters may also claim "uncommitted."

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