Orion Township Clerk Jill Bastian said this area hasn’t seen a voter turnout as high as this past election day’s since the 1992 presidential election, but the number of people heading to the polls didn’t surprise her.
‘We prepared our staff for 100 percent turnout,? said Bastian. ‘They did very well. We’ve been planning for this since I’ve been clerk.?
Out of the 23,239 registered voters in Orion Township, 18,494 of them cast ballots in the Nov. 2 General Election, for a voter turnout of 79.58 percent.
Bastian credits her staff and the township’s election inspectors with the success of this year’s process.
‘There are lots of people who came together to make it all happen,? she said. ‘It’s a huge group effort, with all of the precinct staff coming together to test the equipment.?
Bastian said this year’s turnout was higher than it was in 2000.
‘Technically, we had more than 80 percent (this year),? she said ‘We have ‘dead wood? in our files…people who move, we keep in our files until they get registered in a new place.
‘I’m sure we had over 80 percent,? said Bastian. ‘Other communities were thinking 60 would be a good number, but people in Orion always turn out.?
Having an equal number of voting booths in all polling locations helped ensure no one had to wait longer than 15 minutes in line at any of the township’s 16 precincts, Bastian said.
‘The election committee decided to increase the number of precincts and the number of voting booths,? she added. ‘We also has more workers, and gave them more training.
‘We had very few problems with the machines this year. And using sit-down style voting booths allowed everyone to be able to vote.?
Asked if she had any indication what drove so many voters to the polls this year, Bastian said ‘I have no idea.?
‘I just know a lot of people who had never been registered…not just young people either, but people like my age…choose to come out,? she said. ‘We also had one and a half times the number of absentee ballots we had four years ago.?
The clerk’s office sent out mailers for absentee ballots in the spring, and also sample ballots just before the election.
‘We tried to do that so a large number would apply and that would help streamline the work in my office,? Bastian said. ‘The sample ballots definitely helped. We also included in that mailing a precinct map, with the division of the two congressional districts in Orion, showing both where they are broken up and why.
Overall, Bastian said she only had about a half dozen ‘nasty complaints.?
‘It’s unfortunate those people didn’t understand that dealing with 18,000 people in a 13-hour period, you’re trying your darndest to make sure things work,? she said. ‘My husband Doug and I were out putting up precinct signs on Monday night.?
Bastian said changing the locations of precincts 1 and 2 (formerly held at the Blanche Sims Elementary School and the Ehman Center, respectively) was not the township’s choice.
‘The Ehman Center became a commercial building, and by law we can’t use it (for a polling location),? she said. ‘So we moved precinct 2 to Blanche Sims, and we had to find a new location for precinct 1.
‘We went to St. Joseph Catholic Church, and they were kind enough to let us use their facility. We put up a lot of extra signage and notices at both the Ehman Center and Blanche Sims, so people would know where to go.?