Local voter registration higher

Groveland Township Clerk Pamela Mazich, spent part of Tuesday on the phone with printers requesting addtional absent voters ballots.
‘We were very busy on Monday,? said Mazich.
‘We’re getting anywhere from 15 to 25 voter registrations in the mail. That’s better than what I’ve seen in other years. This is a love-hate election and it’s going to be a close election.?
Mazich was just one of many township clerks dealing with a barrage of local voters registering to vote.
To cast a ballot this Nov. 2, federal law requires voters to be registered 30 days prior’by Monday Oct. 4. So clerks in many local communites responded to the needs of the residents.
‘Absolutely, voter registration has gone up,? said Atlas Township Clerk Tere Onica. ?(Genesee County) is trying to process as fast as they can.?
With groups like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People working to register students on college campuses, voter registration may increase.
It remains to be seen whether the mail-in registrations will make the deadline, said Onica.
‘The problem is if they’re not received until after the cut-off date. Even if a student registered in September, if it’s received after Oct. 4, they’re not officially registered.?
Mail-in registration also means the voter must appear in person to verify identity by presenting a driver’s license and signature, Onica said, eliminating the possibility of voting by absentee ballot.
To learn more about elections in Michigan, go to http://www.sospublius.org/info/statewide.asp