Voter Registration

If you are a citizen of the United States, a resident of the State of Michigan, at least 18 years of age by election day, and at least a 30-day resident of Chikaming Township, you can register to vote in Chikaming Township. You can either register at Township Hall or at the Secretary of State's Office.

When you register you must use your physical home address such as 14900 Lakeside Road, Lakeside, Michigan 49116. However, we also need your mailing address. Because many of our smaller Post Offices do not deliver mail to your homes, we have P.O. Boxes or our mail is delivered by a larger Post Office giving us the same street address, but a different town for our mailing address. Please give either the Township or the Secretary of State's Office both addresses when you register to vote. If you don't, when we mail you a new voter's registration card, it is returned to the Township. When that happens, your registration becomes a "challenged" registration.

Election Consolidation

As of January 1, 2005 the State of Michigan passed new laws that affected a wide variety of broad and sweeping changes in Michigan's elections system. The elections will be restricted to four dates each year; this includes all federal, state, county, city, township, village and school elections. Those dates are the fourth Tuesday in February and the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May, August and November. Michigan's county, city and township clerks will administer all local school district elections, intermediate school district elections and community college district elections.

Where you vote for school elections

The biggest new change is the location of where you vote for school district elections. Now, both the River Valley and New Buffalo School District residents in Chikaming Township vote in the Fire Station at Chikaming Township Center at 13535 Red Arrow Highway in Harbert. They just get different ballots. In case you did not know this, there is a small section of Union Pier in Chikaming Township that is in the New Buffalo School District.

Where you vote for all other elections

Chikaming Township has two Precincts. Check your voter's registration card to see which precinct you are in. Roughly, Precinct One has Browntown Road as its northern border. It runs along the lake to Harbert Road, but includes a small triangle of Main Drive, Red Arrow Highway and Harbert Road. It goes south on Three Oaks Road to Warren Woods Road where it turns east to Carpenter Road. Precinct Two has the southern boundary of Townline/Union Pier/Elm Valley Roads. It goes north along the lake to Harbert Road excluding the little Main Drive triangle mentioned above. It goes east to Three Oaks Road where it turns south on Three Oaks Road and turns east along Warren Woods Road. Voters from both precincts vote in the Fire Station at Chikaming Township Center, 13535 Red Arrow Highway in Harbert. Enter by the door next to the large overhead doors and proceed to the sign-in table marked for your precinct.

Absentee Ballots

Prior to every election absentee ballots are available to people who are:

60 years of age or older.

Expect to be absent from the community in which they are registered for the entire time the polls are open on Election Day.

Are physically unable to attend the polls without the assistance of another.

Cannot attend the polls because of the tenets of their religion.

Have been appointed an election precinct inspector in a precinct other than the precinct where they reside.

Cannot attend the polls because they are confined to jail awaiting arraignment or trial.

You need to come in to Township Hall and request an application for an absent voter's ballot or request an application in writing. Please allow enough time for the application to get mailed to you, returned and a ballot sent with enough time for you to return it before the election. You can also come into the office and vote in the office after filling out an application.

Chikaming Township has recently started a permanent Absentee Voter List. These people will automatically be sent an application for every election. If you would like to be placed on this list and meet one of the above qualifications, please send your request in writing to P.O. Box 40, Harbert, MI 49115