OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — Elections across Michigan are set to be handled differently in the coming cycle after voters approved mandatory early voting options last year.
In Ottawa County, officials are moving to put $769,094 into a new early voting plan spanning the next two years that would allow voters in the county to vote at one of four early voting sites.
"Anyone from anywhere in Ottawa County will be able to participate at any of these four early voting locations," Ottawa County Clerk Justin Roebuck said.
It comes after Michigan voters last November approved new requirements to allow early voting.
Among them, voters in all precincts must have an early voting site, that will offer at least nine days of voting ahead of each statewide and federal election.
Of the total costs of the plan, $309,625 would be put forward by the county, while $459,469 would be contributed by local municipalities in the county that would allow their voters to vote at the four sites.
The decision to implement a singular, county-wide system, Roebuck said, would be meant to cut down on costs incurred by the new requirements.
"We estimate conservatively we'll save well over a half million dollars in just this first year in this first election cycle versus doing it individually," Roebuck said. "So, by doing it collectively as the entire, you know, one system for the entire county, we'll save over a half million dollars than if each jurisdiction, each city and township were to do it on their own."
According to Roebuck, ballots cast at early voting sites ahead of the election would not be immediately counted.
"Essentially, we're operating in a system where voters will be casting their ballots in a tabulator, but those votes will not be actually tabulated until election night after the polls closed," Roebuck said.
During the early voting period, Roebuck said, systems would be in place to ensure the integrity of the early vote. Such would include a live database to ensure each person, is only voting once if they choose to use the early voting sites, as well as physical systems.
"Equipment is going to be secured in, you know, locked security cages and then placed in secure rooms within the early voting facilities," Roebuck said. "And there's a process where seal numbers are verified, and the election equipment is, you know, inspected at the beginning and at the end of every day by election workers as well to ensure the integrity and security of that system."
The County's Finance and Administration Committee is expected to vote on Sept. 5 on whether to approve the plan and send it to the full Board of Commissioners.