Nora Fleming
Voters in East Lansing casting their ballots at Hannah Community Center.“I voted” stickers dot the shirts of people around East Lansing as in-person voting for the Michigan midterm elections occurred. Voters and precinct captains noticed a good turnout, though still lower than that of general elections.
Margie Ring, 3rd Precinct captain, said, “We’ve had 288 voters in person so far and at a better pace than we were for the primary elections.”
Poll workers guide people through the voting process, first by signing them in, registering them in a system and handing them their ballots. After completing their ballots, voters slide them into the tabulator and pick up a sticker.
Ring has been working elections since 2012 and said that though there have been a few snags in the process, election staff has been able to work through them.
“We’ve had great support from the clerk’s office,” she said.
Sam Underwood, 2nd precinct captain, said that he has not had any issues with protestors, but did have to redirect a voter from Bath Township.
“A man came here and said he was told to vote in East Lansing,” Underwood said. “He had a Bath address, so I called the office there and we got it resolved.”
Underwood said that turnout has been higher than the primary election in August.
“We have 1,488 registered voters in our precinct and so far 210 people have come to vote in person compared to the 130 in August.”
Underwood said he considers this election to be pretty important with the governor’s race, even though less people come out to vote in a non-presidential election year.
“We don’t turn anyone away,” he said. “Of course it is nice to be 15 yards away from the city clerk. The 2nd precinct voting location is at Martin Luther Chapel, which has been serving as a polling place since 2015.
Lead Pastor Curt Dwyer said, “One of the things we try to do is recruit volunteers from the church to act as hosts to the voters and be available to answer questions about the facility and give directions.”
Dwyer said he went to vote in person in Bath a little past 8 a.m.
“I was voter 77, so whether that was good or bad voter turnout I don’t know,” he said. “It was my first time voting there since I moved.”