MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - New voting rules take effect for May 7 Special Election. This past November, voters passed legislation to change state voting laws which will apply to this election.

For Meridian Township residents, the May 7 election is only open to residents in the Okemos School District. On the ballot includes the Okemos Bonding Proposal.

Absentee ballot applications have been mailed to registered voters who requested an absentee ballot or to those who are on Meridian Township’s permanent absentee ballot list. All eligible and registered voters in Michigan may now request an absentee ballot without providing a reason.

All registered voters must be 18 years of age or older, a United States citizen and a resident of Meridian Township with valid picture identification presented. Residents can register to vote at the Ingham County Clerk’s Office, any Secretary of State branch office or the Township Clerk’s Office until April 22. Beginning April 23, residents can register to vote in person at the Township Clerk’s office until 8pm on Election Day.

If you register on the day of the election, you can still vote at your Precinct or you can use an absentee ballot to vote in the Meridian Township Municipal Building.

On Monday May 6, you can still vote absentee but only in the Township Municipal Building until 4pm.

To request an absentee ballot, you can:
-Call the Township's Clerk Office at 517.853.4300 or email lemley@meridian.mi.us
-Request an application in person at the County Clerk's Office, any Secretary of State branch office or Township Clerk's Office.
-Online through the State of Michigan website www.michigan.gov/sos.

Once you receive your ballot in the mail you can fill it out, sign it, put the correct postage on it and either mail to the clerk's office or drop it off.

Clerk Brett Dreyfus said the ballots are secure once they reach the office.

"By state law their is a secure process, its a chain of custody , everything is signed and sealed. It goes to our back room which is a locked facility. It is scanned and entered into the qualified voter file," Dreyfus said.