Wayne County Circuit Court Decision On Mailing Absent Voter Ballot Applications To Voters 60 Years of Age or Older - Today, a Wayne County Circuit Judge ruled that the Detroit City Clerk is prohibited from mailing blank absent voter ballot Applications to a list of voters who are 60 years of age or older.  This type of mailing is a common practice of many clerks across Michigan.

We have not seen the actual ruling as it was delivered from the bench.  We are in communication with the Detroit Corporation Counsel's office.  They will decide whether to appeal the decision.  We will review the decision as soon as it is available.

As our recent "Election News" clearly stated, election officials must provide these mailings in a fair and uniform manner.   We have always advised clerks, who decide to make these mailings, to create the mail list on an impartial basis.  The most obvious criteria are the statutory reasons for voting absentee.  The most commonly used criterion is the "60 years of age or older".  This criterion is often supplemented by requests from voters to receive an application for each election.

The ruling in Wayne County only applies to the City of Detroit.  No other jurisdiction is a party to this lawsuit.

We will provide further information as it becomes available.