Voting info from the Muskegon Chronicle

WEST MICHIGAN – With the voter registration deadline nearing, MLive and The Muskegon Chronicle put together information needed for area voters to register and vote whether in person or by absentee.
Registration
First-time voters and residents who have moved since last registering must register or update their address by Oct. 9. Registration and registered voter address updates can be made by mail, at the County Clerk's Office, city or township clerk and Secretary of State office.
A mail-in registration form is available at the Michigan Secretary of State website.
Residents can find information on their local clerk by using the State of Michigan's online Voter Information Center.
Michigan voters have to use the same residential address for voter registration and driver's license purposes. A driver's license address change will be applied to each resident's voter registration and a voter registration address change to their driver's license.
Residents can check their registration status and see their polling location, which has potentially changed since the 2008 presidential election, by contacting their city or township clerk or by visiting www.michigan.gov/vote.
Oct. 8 is a state and federal holiday and the Secretary of State's office will be closed. The County Clerk's Office, however, will be open.
Voting in-person
Polls for voting in person will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 6. Registered voters who are in line at 8 p.m. will be able to vote.
Poll workers will have access to databases to confirm that residents are casting their ballots in the correct location, but registered voters are encouraged to make sure they are heading to the correct polling place ahead of time.
Voters will be asked to produce photo identification at the polls. Accepted forms of identification include Michigan and other states' driver's licenses or state-issued ID cards, U.S. passports, photo military ID, photo student ID from high school or accredited institutions of higher learning and photo tribal identification cards.
However, if you do not possess photo ID you are still allowed to vote under Michigan law. Anyone who cannot produce photo ID can sign an affidavit stating, under the penalty of perjury, that they are not in possession of voter ID at the time. Anyone who signs the simple affidavit can vote and the vote will be counted with all others on election day.
Heavy turnout is expected for the election, with slightly shorter lines expected between 10 a.m. and noon and from 2 to 5 p.m. for residents who are able to vote during those times, county employees said.
Absentee voting
Muskegon County Election Coordinator Kimberly Grimm said those who qualify for absentee voting may want to consider doing so to avoid long lines and have plenty of time to read and fill out this year's long double-sided ballot.
Registered voters who meet one or more of six conditions may qualify for an absentee ballot:

• Age 60 years or older.
• Expecting to be out of town on election day.
• Unable to attend the polls due to religious reasons.
• In jail awaiting arraignment or trial.
• Unable to vote without assistance at the polls.
• Appointed to work as an election inspector in a precinct outside the person's voting jurisdiction.

Absentee ballot applications can be found online or pre-printed at city or township clerk's offices. Requests to have an absentee ballot sent to residents must be received by 2 p.m. Nov. 3. Absentee voter ballots may be issued to a voter's home address or any address outside of their city or township of residence.

Voters who register to vote by mail must vote in person in the first election in which they participate. The restriction does not apply to overseas voters, voters who are handicapped or voters who are 60 years of age or older.

After receiving the absentee ballot, voters will have until 8 p.m. Nov. 6 to complete the ballot and return it to the clerk's office. The ballot will not be counted unless the voter's signature is on the return envelope and matches their signature on file. The signature of anyone who provides assistance voting the ballot must also be on the return envelope.
The ballot
Voters can fill out the partisan section of the ballot by voting a "straight," "split" or "mixed" ticket. A straight ticket will cast votes only for members of the party chosen. A split ticket allows voters to cast a straight-party vote but then select candidates from other parties in certain races. A mixed ticket allows voters to choose between the parties in each race as well as choose to not vote in certain races.
This year's ballot will be four pages total, taking up the front and back of two pieces of paper. The front of the first page will contain all partisan races. The back of the first page will contain nonpartisan races. Both sides of the second page will be only proposals.
The two pages will feature a larger font and more readable layout, but could potentially still take a considerable amount of time to fill out, Grimm said.

A straight or split ticket does not vote for the nonpartisan races or for the proposals. Voters should check both sides of both pages of the ballot, but are not required to vote in every race or on every proposal, Grimm said.
Behavior at and near polling locations
Anyone in line to vote or within 100 feet of a polling location entrance is not allowed to campaign for candidates or parties, whether by discussing the election or wearing or possessing election-related clothing or buttons or fliers, signs or stickers. Voters will be asked to cover or remove such clothing or material.
Criminal records and incarceration
A Michigan resident who served time in jail or prison is free to participate in elections as long as they have registered properly. A resident confined in jail awaiting arraignment or trial is eligible to register and vote. Anyone currently serving a sentence in jail or prison following a conviction is not allowed to register or vote.