MUSKEGON, Mich —
With the Muskegon Mobile Unit, the city’s election headquarters can meet voters where they are – in their neighborhoods. The trailer gives the opportunity for residents to be able to vote, register to vote, turn in absentee ballots, and ask questions without going to City Hall.
People in the trailer are able to answer who’s on the ballot, be able to see a sample ballot, and get questions answered about absentee ballot tracking. They can also answer other questions related to the election.
“Our residents love it. They absolutely love it. They talk about it. They like seeing it out there. And you definitely have people that turn their head when we go down the road with it, you know, it's quite visible,” Ann Meisch, Muskegon City Clerk, said. “And again, it's just offering an opportunity. We don't go out there and try to find people, we just park and we let them know where we're going to be, and they can come to us if they need any assistance.”
Meisch said people looking to register or to fill out a ballot at the Mobile Unit will need to bring proper documentation, like ID.
The Mobile Unit has two stops on Oct. 17: Jefferson Towers from 11 a.m. to noon and Goodwill Industries of West Michigan from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Besides the Mobile Unit, Muskegon residents will be able to vote in person starting on Oct. 26. That’s nine days straight, including weekends.
Meisch said they will be fully staffed like they will be on Nov. 5.
"It is very flexible. It is great,” she said. “It's great for people who work in the schools. It’s great for people who work in hospitals and doctors and all of that where they have to work. You know, there's plenty of places where you're not going to get the day off, or you're going to come early in the morning, and if you show up at the polling places at 7 a.m. expect to wait.”
Early voting also gives the opportunity for residents to put their ballot in the machine and watch it tabulate, Meisch said. The city also has drop boxes for absentee ballots that are not brought in person.
With many ways to vote early, Meisch suggests taking advantage of them.
“Try to get it done early,” she said. “You can even get an absentee ballot, and you can study it, and then you can take it to the polls, and you can put it in the machine yourself too, but definitely, you know to come prepared understand all of the candidates and who you want to vote for will be really helpful to you.”
Early in-person voting in Muskegon starts on Oct. 26 leading up to the election:
Saturdays 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sundays 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Thursday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Muskegon residents have two locations where they can vote early. The city’s regional site is at City of Muskegon, 933 Terrace Street, Muskegon, MI 49440, and their county consolidated site is Muskegon County Marquette Campus Student Center, 1903 Marquette Avenue, Muskegon, MI 49442.