The Sterling Heights City Clerk has opened a new Election Center conveniently located within the Sterling Heights Senior Center at 40200 Utica Road.
The new Election Center was designed with voter safety in mind and will provide a safe, accessible environment where residents can handle all their election business like registering to vote, applying for an absent voter ballot, or applying to be a precinct worker.
“In the month leading up to any election, the City Clerk’s office is always extremely busy. This year, COVID safety restrictions have added an element that could result in longer wait times due to heavy City Hall patronage,” said Sterling Heights City Clerk Melanie Ryska. “Despite that, we are committed to ensuring every single one of our residents can exercise their right to vote in a safe and efficient manner. This new Election Center affords our residents the opportunity to stay safe through social distancing in a larger, more open space away from City Hall while still taking care of important election business.”
While the City remains fully prepared to keep voters safe at all 45 voting precincts, many voters have chosen to vote by absentee. To date, the Clerk’s office has issued more than 23,000 absentee ballots – a roughly 177 percent increase over August 2016. With that in mind, the City has also installed four new AV ballot drop boxes at fire stations 2, 3, 4 and 5. These are in addition to the existing drop box at the police department and make it even easier for residents to safely return their ballot, regardless of what part of the City they reside in.
The Election Center is open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. For the convenience of our residents, the Center will also be open on Saturday, Aug. 1 from 9 am to 5 pm.
For those who wish to transact as much of their election business online as possible, residents can register to vote at mi.gov/vote through July 20. After that, you must register in person at the Election Center. You can also apply for an absent voter ballot at mi.gov/vote through July 31 in order to get a ballot mailed to you. After that, you may apply for an absent voter ballot at the Election Center up to 4 pm on Aug. 3. Those requesting absent voter ballots on Aug. 3 must vote their ballot in the Election Center.
The City Clerk’s main office at City Hall will continue to conduct all non-election duties such as licensing, death certificates, FOIA requests, notary services, board and commission applications, etc.