First-Person: Voting the Michigan Presidential Primaries

Early Tuesday morning, January 15th, I journeyed 8 miles north of my house to the Saint Ignace Township Hall in Mackinac County, Upper Michigan. Working 14 hours, I checked identification, processed absentee ballots, worked with the township clerk, verified tallies, and even managed to cast my own ballot! When our day opened with a malfunctioning machine, we worked through the problem manually, until our local representative was able to replace the memory chip. Follow an interesting day in a remote and sparsely populated township hall.

The first thing a prospective election official does is apply to the township clerk for the job. After filling out a short form and gaining approval, I attended classes with people from all over the surrounding counties. The half-day of training covers a variety of topics, including any recent requirements for the voting inspector, how the vote might be observed, what can be talked about or viewed at a polling location, and the processing of ballots. Our instructor is a nice looking, personable man who ended up having to visit us personally during the late morning of our most recent elections. He opened his morning by fixing the local machine in his area, traveled an hour on slippery, snow-packed roads to service a second machine, continuing south and west to find us waiting anxiously for his replacement chip. While working on our machine, he received yet another call, which required him to continue another two or three hours westward.

Most of the voters were well-informed, ready to show their photo identification as they logged in for their ballot. All but one voter had the required identification, although many provided their tribal ID cards in lieu of a Michigan Drivers License or photo ID card. Other acceptable photo ID viewed were some government worker badges and military cards.

The only type of acceptable verification we did not see were passports and high school or college IDs. The verification procedure and instructions did not contain any samples; however, the workers all possessed the type of IDs we were asked to verify. One voter, our youngest at age 18, did not have her drivers license, but we were able to process her through the voting cycle by filling out the requisite affidavit form, located on the reverse side of the application to vote. Even husbands and election inspectors themselves provided their identification cards. As a result, we were able to honestly tell the voters that everyone had verified their identity, according to the relatively new requirement. A few people maintained that this requirement had been overturned. In actuality, the requirement is simply being contested at a higher level. For the January Presidential Primary in Michigan, it was the existing law.

Another item that proved more controversial was the fact that Democrat Voters were limited to Dennis Kucinich, Chris Dodd, Hillary Clinton, and Mike Gravel. Many voters believed that the uncommitted option would result in their ballot being wasted. The voters were briefed that they could vote uncommitted, and if enough (15 percent) votes were tallied statewide, their party HAD indicated those votes could be reserved for other candidates. Apparently, some news outlets had presented different information. Luckily, no one cast a vote for an ineligible individual. Both John Edwards and Barack Obama had withdrawn their names from Michigan's early primary, due to the fact that its date had been accelerated on the primary calendar.

Over the course of the day, the Republican ballot requests far outpaced those from the Democrats. Some Democrats did request Republican ballots. Voters might prefer those "other" candidates or hope to take votes away from the more popular contenders. Of the overall voters, about 35 percent took the Democrat option, even though around half of the area residents are Democrats. One extremely vocal and assertive resident began a long dissertation on the relative merits of Senator Clinton. Fortunately, no other voters were present in the township hall. It is both impolite and illegal to campaign for an individual at the ballot box. A simple diversion, a question on legal party requirements, steered the enthusiastic woman on to other discussion topics. We all breathed a sigh of relief when she left without attempting to influence any other voters. Check out http://www.michigantownships.org/mta9864814.asp which expands on Michigan Compiled Laws (MCLs) The website notes that "...On Election Day, Michigan Election Law prohibits campaign materials and campaigning within 100 feet of the entrance to any polling place (MCLs 168.744 and 168.931). Although these election laws are rarely, if ever, enforced, it is the only time this particular election team has seen the parameters of the law "tested."

One of the voters didn't seem to know the name of the individual for whom he wanted to cast his ballot. As he approached the election workers' table, he started asking about the name of the candidates. We referred him to the sample ballots, which were taped on tables and viewable on the walls. He then asked us about a "Mc-Something" candidate. He further clarified his question, by asking for the name of the veteran who had served in Vietnam. At this point, we showed him the Republican and Democrat ballots, where he (correctly) located John McCain's name. This incident turned out to be prophetic, as McCain won the most votes of any candidate on either ballot.

All of these unusual incidents gave us some good questions for our next training class. My fellow election inspectors have worked many, many years of elections and are well educated and experienced. With all the training and years of working on the board, this Michigan Presidential Primary provided the most unusual variety of events. Not only were there more candidates, but the additional requirements, election law options, and equipment malfunctions made us extremely happy that the confusion took place so early in the election cycle. Of more than 600 registered voters, only 98 showed up to vote. During the rest of the year, for milleages, school board, and open primaries, we expect increasing numbers. As the year draws to a close, the Presidential Election on November 4, 2008 promises to be a hotly contested battle. While our most recent off-year election drew out over half of the eligible voters, we hope to see even higher percentages when the top offices in the country are up for grabs.

The election day itself starts winding down shortly after dark. Most of the voters had showed up early in the day or just after work. Our lunch hour was interrupted frequently, but dinnertime was fairly quiet. At our particular election place, the workers all bring in contributions for a pot-luck supper. Not only do we enjoy a wonderful hot meal, salad, vegetable, and dessert, we get to trade recipes and feast on one another's favorite recipes. Our election crew chairman just returned from a week long Carribean cruise, and regaled us with stories of her travels. We also had plenty of time to review the instructions from the township clerk, and trade off jobs. As the least experienced worker, I was happy to be able to perform some of the duties I had not yet experienced in previous elections.

As the polls closed and we assembled our materials, we learned that John McCain received the most votes, followed closely by Mike Huckabee. Michigan "Native Son" Mitt Romney rounded off the top three, with Fred Thompson a distant fourth. Rudy Giuliani managed to capture two votes, and Ron Paul had a single supporter in the township. The Democratic results were simple. Eighteen people cast their votes in favor of Senator Clinton, while eight voters remained "uncommitted." The number of physical ballots we counted matched the numbers on the ticker tape. A bit more confusing was the mathematical formula required in the election book, but even that was completed without undue pain! The ballot bag and its metal cannister were sealed, with the appropriate forms attached. We handed all the election materials over to our township clerk, a dynamic 72 year old woman who is running for reelection later in the year.

We all headed south, down Mackinac Trail, for the short trip home. The Michigan Presidential Election process starts in January, and we wont see the final results of all our voting and counting until November. Many voters and inspectors commented on the many telephone calls and commercials related to this early primary, but not a single yard sign was viewed in Mackinac County. Does this indicate a disenfranchized voting populace? More likely, any yard sign would have been immediately covered in over a foot of snow, which fell shortly before election day. Although he did not win the popular vote in Mackinac County this round, Candidate Mitt Romney swept the state. It's said that the relatively bad weather down below the Mackinac Bridge, in lower Michigan, contributed to his outstanding showing in his former state of residence. Only time will tell if this positive trend for Governor Romeny continues. On the other side of the battlefield, Hillary Clinton enjoyed a fairly respectable showing in Mackinac County. Further south, nearly 40 percent of the voters retained their right to stay "uncommitted." Many Michigan voters around the state expressed their disgruntlement over the other contenders having removed their name from the primary ballots.

Michigan's next primary is in August, and that contest is an open primary. Open Primaries have both parties on the same ballot, although you cannot split your ticket. This means you are required to choose amongst all Republicans or all Democrats. In the final vote, in November, Michigan residents can choose amongst all the contenders, voting for the best individual, regardless of political party. Sitting with over a foot of snow surrounding my house, it's hard to imagine what will be happening in 10 months, when autumn leaves fill the yards.