With the Presidential election only a few days away, we’re providing EGR residents with all the information needed prior to Tuesday, Nov. 3.

MAKE A PLAN FOR ELECTION DAY
If you're voting at the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 3, make sure you're prepared by:

• Verifying you are registered to vote as well as your polling location at michigan.gov/vote. There’s still time to register at City Hall. Visit us at 750 Lakeside Dr. SE as soon as possible if you still need to register.
• Bringing a photo ID with you as you will be asked to show identification when you arrive. Acceptable forms of ID include a driver’s license/ID card, federal/state ID, passport, military photo ID, high school/college ID and a Tribal ID. If you don’t have an ID with you when you arrive, you can sign an affidavit and vote as usual.
• Reviewing sample ballots prior to Tuesday at eastgr.org/elections so that you know what’s on your ballot and can limit your time at the polls.
• Avoiding precincts located at the school buildings between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. and from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. or consider walking from home to avoid additional vehicles in the area as morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up are the busiest times at school facilities. As always, please drive carefully.

PRECINCT INFORMATION
Important notes about two of our precincts:

RETURN ABSENTEE BALLOTS IN PERSON ASAP
We ask absentee voters to turn in their ballots as soon as possible. With over 5,500 absentee ballots issued in EGR and a high percentage expected to be returned, getting ballots to Clerk’s Office before election day makes an incredible difference to City staff and volunteer election workers facing a long election day. As Michigan ballots cannot be opened and tabulated until election day — and are kept secure until then — returning your ballot prior to Nov. 3 will provide staff the entire day to complete the time-consuming, five-step verification process required for every ballot.

At this time, we highly recommend residents who have not yet turned in their ballots, to bring them to City Hall in person at 750 Lakeside Dr. SE and hand them directly to our front desk staff or place them in the secure drop box located within the Community Center vestibule.

EARLY ABSENTEE VOTING
What’s the difference between early voting and absentee voting? Michigan’s version of early voting is absentee voting, where you request a ballot, vote, seal the ballot in the appropriate envelope and return it to the Clerk’s Office to be processed on election day. In Michigan, you cannot put your ballot through a tabulator prior to Nov. 3.

Voters are welcome to request an absentee ballot and fill it out directly at City Hall to save time. You can apply for an absentee ballot until 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2.
 
Please note voting early is done at the City Clerk's office at City Hall — NOT at your regular polling location.

LET’S KEEP EACH OTHER SAFE
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask all participants to wear a mask and practice physical distancing at all times while voting. Voters should also be prepared to apply hand sanitizer upon entering the polling location to help keep surfaces in the precinct clean.

To further protect you and our election workers, we are equipping each polling location with sneeze guards, masks and sanitizing products. Voting booths, pens and other surfaces will be sanitized throughout the day.

ELECTION RESULTS
Unofficial results will most likely be available late on election day or on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Official results will be available once the Kent County Board of Canvassers finishes reviewing all of the precinct materials from election day and certifies the results within 14 days of the election.

All election results will be transmitted to Kent County Clerk’s Office servers for public viewing once the precinct and absentee ballot boards complete their work. Precinct results should be available by 9 p.m. while absentee ballots results will depend on the number of ballots still to be processed at the close of the polls. We appreciate everyone’s patience while the end of the night procedures are followed and results are transmitted. 

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?
If you have any additional questions about your ballot or the voting process, please don’t hesitate to contact the City at 616.949.2110. We’re here to help and provide accurate and reliable information.  Additional resources:

• Elections webpage
• Election FAQs
• Submitting Your Absentee Ballot
• Make a Plan for Election Day

City Hall will be open on Saturday, Oct. 31 for those looking to obtain an absentee ballot and/or have questions. Upcoming hours of operation:

• Thursday, Oct. 29 — 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Friday, Oct. 30 — 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 31 — 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Monday, Nov. 2 — 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.