General Election Tuesday, November 6, 2012
On Tuesday, November 6, 2012, the City of St. Joseph will hold a General Election to elect a U.S. Senator, the U.S. 6th Congressional District Representative, State 79th Legislative District Legislature, the County 5th District Commissioner and various other Berrien County Officials.
Since this is a general election you may vote either a straight ticket, a split ticket of a mixed ticket ballot. Generally, these choices refer to the following ways of marking your ballot:
[ Straight Ticket: Vote for the party of your choice. You need only to mark your party choice for the partisan races.
[ Split Ticket: Vote for the party of your choice, but ALSO select individual candidates of your choice from other parties in individual offices.
[ Mixed Ticket: Vote for the individual candidates of your choice in each office.
As allows, the polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Please take note of our polling locations:
Precinct 1 Library 500 Market Street
Precinct 2 Howard Ice Arena 2414 Willa Drive
Precinct 3 Zion Evangelical UCC Church 3001 Veronica Drive
Remember, voting with the Optech Insight tabulator equipment requires that you simply draw one solid line to connect the ends of the arrow next to the candidate of your choice.
The AutoMark will be available to aid voters with disabilities to mark/vote their ballot independently. Please let the elections inspectors know if you wish to use this equipment.
For information on how to obtain an absent voter ballot, confirm your registration or check your polling location, please call the City Clerks Office at 983-6325.
You may also check your voter status or polling location at www.sjcity.com; just click on the Michigan Voter Information Center link, than enter your voter information.
See you at the polls!
Voter Registration
If you wish to register to vote you must be:
- At least 18 years of age by the date of the next election
- A citizen of the United States
- A resident of Michigan and the City or township in which you wish to register
You can register to vote at all Secretary of State branch offices, the County Clerk's Office, various designated state agencies, or the St. Joseph City Clerk's Office. If you are unable to go to any of these offices to register, please contact your local Clerk at (269) 983-6325.
If you are registered to vote and have moved or changed your name, you must contact your local Clerk's office to ensure that your registration is correct.
Once you have registered, you may exercise your right to vote by appearing at the polls on election day or by obtaining an absent voter ballot. Instructions on obtaining an absent voter ballot are described below.
Polling Places
Polls are open from 7 am to 8 pm on Election Day.
Precinct 1: Maud Preston Palenske Memorial Library 500 Market Street
Precinct 2: Howard Ice Arena Building 2414 Willa Drive
Precinct 3: Zion Evangelical UCC Church 3001 Veronica Court
Absent Voter Ballots
A voter can request an absent voter ballot for any of the following reasons:
- 60 years of age or older; or
- Absent from the community the entire time the polls are open on election day; or
- Physically unable to attend the polls without the assistance of another; or
- Cannot attend the polls because of the tenets of your religion; or
- Have been appointed an election precinct inspector in a precinct other than the precinct where you reside; or
- Cannot attend the polls because you are confined to jail awaiting arraignment or trial.
Absent voter ballots can be requested from the local clerk by filling out a form available in the office or by sending a simple letter. Be sure to include your name, your registered address, the address you would like the ballot sent to, your reason for the request and then sign the letter. For more information, contact your local clerk's office.
Election Inspectors
The City Clerk's office is always looking for citizens available to serve as election inspectors. The City of St. Joseph has six (6) voting precincts, all of which must be maintained by inspectors for each election. If you are interested in serving, please contact the Clerk's office for an application.