Ballot Proofing for August 5, 2008 Primary:  To ensure that all ballots prepared to administer elections in Michigan meet the applicable legal and technical requirements, we are requesting that you forward your final proof ballots in PDF format to the Bureau for review prior to production.  Please submit all proofs by e-mail to the attention of Sue McRill at McRillS@Michigan.gov or Carol Pierce at PierceC1@Michigan.gov. 

Please include "Ballot Proofs" and the name of your county in the subject line of your e-mail submission.  If corrections are needed or any changes are made to the ballots following the original submission and or approval, the PDFs must be re-submitted.  

"Final" Ballot Production Standards:  We are pleased to announce that a "final" version of the Michigan Ballot Production Standards has been completed.  While this is a living document, the current version reflects the standards which must be observed for the August 5, 2008 Primary.  It is our hope that the need for future revisions will be minimal.  However, it should be anticipated that future adjustments will be required due to changes in Federal or State law.  Updated versions of the standards will be forwarded to you as the need arises.

Those responsible for the production of ballots must closely observe all legal and technical ballot production standards.  A copy of the Michigan Ballot Production Standards which contain ballot samples for 1) an "open" primary, 2) a general election, 3) a special election, 4) a city primary, 5) a village election and 6) a May election. This document also contains a summary of the technical standards released by the optical scan voting equipment manufacturers which must be observed when preparing ballots. To obtain a copy of the full technical standards issued by the voting equipment manufacturers, contact the voting system vendor. 

We would like to thank all who assisted in reviewing and commenting on this document.  You comments and suggestions were invaluable. 

Questions?  Please contact the Bureau of Elections at: 1-800-292-5973