GR clerk resent 100 absentee ballots to northwest side

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Around 100 people on the northwest side of Grand Rapids are confused after checking their mail and not finding the absentee ballot that they requested. The Grand Rapids city clerk’s office sent out absentee ballots on Sept. 26.

Joel Hondorp, the clerk for the city of Grand Rapids, said it’s common for some absentee ballots to get lost because there are a lot of moving pieces at the United States Postal Service. The city and USPS are currently investigating where those missing ballots went.

The 100 people who called the clerk’s office to report not getting an absentee ballot have new ones on the way and the old ones were spoiled. Those voters will be able to tell which one is the new one if there is a higher number on the ballot and they can also call the clerk’s office to confirm whether it is the right one. Hondorp said overall his office has sent out 32,000 absentee ballots in total for this election. A majority of the 100 callers lived on the northwest side of the city.

Hondorp said the best way for all voters to keep track of their absentee ballots is to look on the state’s voting website . There you can track when your ballot was sent and if it was returned.

“If a voter wants to know what the status of their ballot is, if they haven’t recieved it, they can go to Michigan.gov/vote and they can track their ballot that way, so they can see the date that we mailed them the ballot and then if they have a concern thinking someone stole their ballot and voted their return, then they might want to see if the ballot was returned to us,” Hondorp said. “What we’re seeing is it just shows on there that the ballot was sent out, but they never received it, so that’s the way you can track your ballot and then if you don’t see it and haven’t seen your ballot, then reach out to your local clerk’s office and we’ll spoil it and send you a new ballot.”

Hondorp added a good rule of thumb is if you haven’t gotten your absentee ballot within a week, to check the website and if it said it was sent, reach out to your clerk. When you get your absentee ballot, be sure to fill it out and send it in as soon as possible. Clerks recommend you return them at least two weeks out from the election to ensure your ballot is received in time to be counted. You can also put it in a drop box, deliver it to your clerk’s office or run it through the tabulator on Election Day or when early voting begins on October 26.

A spokesperson for the Kent County Clerk’s Office told News 8 that as far as they know, these missing ballots are an isolated incident. They also advise voters to keep an eye on their ballots through the state’s website and if you have to contact your clerk, you can find a directory of local clerk’s offices here .

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