MUSKEGON, Mich. — The City of Muskegon for the first time is issuing absentee ballots on the go.
The city received a grant for election administration and used a portion of the funds to purchase a mobile voting trailer. The trailer allows local election officials to travel into various communities in Muskegon and urge voters to register and allow them to submit an absentee ballot.
The trailer was delivered on Thursday and will be put to use starting next week.
"I actually had a lot of excitement about getting to the senior high rises that we have around here and how difficult it is. Some of those are so close to us, but yet so far when you don’t have transportation," said City Clerk Ann Meisch.
City residents have already requested 8,000 absentee ballots, which amounts to 30% of the entire number of registered voters. The increase is significant, compared to the 2016 election with a total of 3,000 absentee ballots cast. The numbers indicate the city will likely reach historic numbers in the upcoming election.
That number may only increase with the ease of the new trailer, allowing residents to register and vote near their homes without stepping foot into city hall.
"I think even one is a success to me honestly. Just offering that opportunity for people to have that chance, not to have to worry about having to get down to city hall. Especially our seniors, I look to them, and I think it’s going to be really really big," said Meisch.
Locations on the schedule to stop include:
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
- Berkshire – 929 1st Street 10 am – 11 am
- Jefferson Towers – 1077 Jefferson 11:30 am – 12:30 am
- Bayview Towers – 864 Spring Street 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
- Hartford Terrace – 1080 Terrace Street 3 pm – 4 pm
Thursday, October 15, 2020
- Moon School – 1826 Hoyt Street 10 am – 11 am
- Oakview School – 1420 Madison 11:30 am – 12:30 am
- Scrib’s Pizza on Laketon – 565 E. Laketon 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
- COGIC Center – Holy Trinity – 2140 Valley Street 3 pm – 4 pm
Friday, October 16, 2020
- Marquette School – 480 Bennett Street 10 am – 11 am
- Muskegon Middle School – 1150 Amity Avenue 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
- Muskegon Community College – 221 S. Quarterline 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
- Smith Ryerson – 650 Wood Street 3 pm – 4 pm
Saturday, October 17, 2020
- Glenside School – 1213 W. Hackley 10 am – 11 am
- McGraft Park – 1598 Glen Avenue 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
- Lakeside Elementary – 2312 Denmark 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
- Silversides Museum – 1346 Bluff Street 3 pm -4 pm
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
- Nelson School – 550 W. Grand 10 am – 11 am
- Muskegon Farmers Market – 242 W. Western 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
- Muskegon High School – 80 W. Southern 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
- Hackley Library – 316 W. Webster 3 pm – 4 pm
Thursday, October 22, 2020
- Harvey Street Independent Living Center – Sanctuary at the Oak – 570 Harvey Street 10 am – 11 am
- Hickory Village/Carriage Houses – 1890 Carriage Road 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
- Trinity Village – 2224 Valley Street 1 pm – 2 pm
If you would like to suggest another location for the mobile unit to travel to, you can do so here.
