Some voters say they haven’t gotten their absentee ballots. What’s next?

GEORGETOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Some voters haven’t gotten their absentee ballots in the mail with Election Day just weeks away.

More than 2.1 million people across Michigan have asked for an absentee ballot, according to the Secretary of State’s office. As of Tuesday, over 670,000 of those voters had submitted their ballots.

Diane Reminga’s mom, an 88-year-old in Georgetown Township, has voted absentee for decades now.

“She’s very adamant about voting. … She really wants to vote in this election,” Reminga said.

Reminga said her mom has never had a problem getting her absentee ballot in the mail until this year.

“I called the township and they said they were all mailed out on Sept. 25 and that’s all they know … and they got a lot of calls that people had not received them,” Reminga said.

The Ottawa County Clerk’s Office told News 8 it’s aware of the issue in Georgetown Township. A similar problem happened in Olive Township back in August, the office confirmed.

Just recently, the city of Grand Rapids resent about 100 absentee ballots , mostly to the city’s northwest side. The city clerk’s office called it an isolated incident.

Grand Rapids City Clerk Joel Hondorp told News 8 it’s common for some ballots to get lost in the mail because there are a lot of moving pieces with the United States Postal Service. The city and USPS are currently investigating where those missing ballots went.

“I just wonder how many more are out there that people aren’t getting?” Reminga said. “If I weren’t advocating for (my mom), she just wouldn’t vote.”

Amber Reagan, elections director and deputy clerk for Georgetown Township, told News 8 that if voters haven’t gotten their absentee ballot, they are either not on the permanent absentee list or the ballot has been mailed out and is somewhere in the United States Postal System.

“This is not an unusual situation,” Reagan stressed. “Unfortunately, both of these scenarios occur with every election.”

Reagan could not confirm how many phone calls the clerk’s office has received regarding missing ballots.

Reagan suggested voters contact the clerk’s office to verify they’re on the list and when the ballot was sent. If it’s been a week or two since it’s been sent out, a voter must complete a form stating they never received the ballot. They should get a new ballot in the mail soon after that, Reagan said.

Voters can also check the status of their absentee application or ballot online at michigan.gov/vote .

With Election Day less than three weeks away, if you’re worried your absentee ballot won’t make it through the mail in time, you can also vote early in person statewide starting Oct. 26 and ending Nov. 3.

Of course, eligible voters can also cast their ballots on Election Day. At this point, that’s what Reminga is considering.

“She’s in a wheelchair. I will take her out and I will wheel her in there,” she said. “‘Cause she’s going to vote. We’ll do it one way or the other.”

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