Absentee ballot printing error in Belleville, Sumpter and Van Buren Twp
Error found on absentee ballots sent to Belleville, Sumpter and Van Buren Twp
Officials were notified by Wayne County Elections of the error, which involved the Belleville Area District Library Board portion of the ballot. New ballots will be reprinted and sent to voters in Belleville, Sumpter and Van Buren Township.
A printing error was discovered on absentee ballots in multiple Wayne County communities.
Officials with Van Buren Charter Township said new absentee ballots will be printed and mailed.
Absentee ballot printing error
What they're saying:
Van Buren Charter Township government officials said new absentee ballots need to go out to voters in Belleville, Sumpter and Van Buren Township after a printing error.
Officials were notified by Wayne County Elections on Monday of the error, which involved the Belleville Area District Library Board portion of the ballot.
"One of the terms was supposed to be a partial term and not full," Michelle Bellingham, Belleville’s interim city clerk, said.
Officials said the error affected all absentee voters in the following communities:
- Belleville
- Sumpter
- Van Buren Township
The Wayne County Clerk's Office also released a statement:
"Our office recently identified that the candidate for the Belleville Area District Library partial-term seat was mistakenly placed in the Belleville Area District Library full-term candidate race on absentee ballots in three communities: Van Buren Township, Sumpter Township, and the City of Belleville. Once identified, our office acted quickly to correct the issue, including printing new absentee ballots that will place the candidate in the partial-term race.
The omission was limited in scope, resulted from a procedural oversight, and did not affect any other candidate races, candidates, or proposals. The State of Michigan has standing guidance for addressing and correcting these types of errors, and our office has implemented these long-standing procedures consistent with that guidance. No voter should be impeded from voting in this election cycle, and the incident will not impact future absentee ballot requests, early voting, or Election Day voting.
In the coming days, affected voters will receive a letter and a new absentee ballot from their local municipal clerk with detailed instructions on how to vote their replacement ballot."
Local perspective:
These communities are in southwest Wayne County, just west of Romulus and the Detroit Metro Airport.
What's next:
A corrected absentee ballot will be mailed as soon as the new ballots are printed.
Officials say additional instructions will be included with the new ballots.
Timeline:
Absentee ballots are sent out in Michigan 40 days before the election, which is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
RELATED: Voting in Michigan: What to know ahead of November election
What’s on my ballot?
FILE - A stack of Michigan absentee ballots and envelopes sits on a desk. October 3, 2024 in Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Big picture view:
No matter where you live, all Michiganders will have a say in their pick for:
- Michigan governor
- Michigan Secretary of State
- Michigan Attorney General
- Congressional U.S. Senator
Two statewide proposals are also on the ballot:
Many in metro Detroit are also voting on zoo and museum millages, and districts will also vote for state senators and representatives in Congress.
What you can do:
See a sample of what’s on your ballot here. You just need to input your county, city and voting precinct.
Get more information on the various ways you can vote early in Michigan here.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from Van Buren Charter Township government officials, which posted on Facebook. Background information on the election was taken from the Michigan Secretary of State and previous FOX 2 reporting.