UPDATE: On Oct 10, 2020, the City Clerk’s office announced that six new ballot drop off boxes have been securely installed around the City:
https://www.a2elnel.com/post/absentee-voting-update-including-six-new-ballot-drop-boxes
The following was originally published in my Oct 3, 2020 Newsletter in the “Additional Thoughts” section
I am hearing through the grapevine that more and more people have both received absentee ballots and are making their way to City Hall to deliver them to drop boxes at the Clerks office. My family has also received our ballots and our plan is to deliver them this way, rather than rely on the mail. Additional absentee ballot drop boxes will be available at more locations very soon, and will be published on the City’s Election website:
https://www.a2gov.org/departments/City-Clerk/Elections/Pages/Elections.aspx
For those who want to take care of voting now, and do not want to rely on the mail, you can deliver them to drop off boxes in either City Hall or the new satellite location at the UM Art Museum:
City Hall
301 E Huron St
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
There are two drop boxes in City Hall: one is accessible from Huron Street and the other one is accessible from Ann Street. I took pictures of the drop boxes today:
There is another drop-box in the vicinity of City Hall that is not intended for absentee ballots but rather for the payment of bills. It is on Ann Street and it looks like this:
Right now— well in advance of the election — ballots placed in this box can be sorted out by City staff in time to be counted, but this location is not recommended for drop-off of absentee ballots. It is expected that the contents of this box are payments for City bills, so this box will not necessarily be emptied and sorted right before election day and it is not an official collection point for absentee ballots.
UM Art Museum – City Clerk’s Satellite Office
525 S. State Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
On weekdays, from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., you can also drop an absentee ballot off at the new Ann Arbor City Clerk’s satellite office at the UM Art Museum. As of Sept 28th, all Ann Arbor residents have access to this ballot box.
- https://www.a2gov.org/news/pages/article.aspx?i=734
- https://news.umich.edu/u-m-museum-of-art-to-serve-as-ann-arbor-city-clerks-satellite-office-through-nov-3/
In completing your absentee ballot, I urge everyone to follow instructions carefully, making use of the required envelope and including your signature where it is required. Helpful information about candidates (particularly local races) can be found at Vote411, maintained by the League of Women Voters:
https://www.vote411.org/