There is still time to vote by absentee ballot

By Charles Sercombe
The clock is ticking on what is shaping up to be a possible cliffhanger election on Nov. 8.
As of Friday, Oct. 21, there are just about two weeks until the Nov. 8 General Election.
This election is known as the “midterms” where the country decides who will be in charge of Congress: the Republicans or Democrats.
Hamtramck voters will be a part of that decision.
Conventional wisdom has it that whichever political party is in power at this point in the presidential term, the other side will prevail. But political pundits say this is no ordinary election year, and that anything could happen.
Various polls say many of the races in the country are tight. One thing is for sure, this election will determine how accurate pollsters have been.
Besides that, there are three state ballot proposals that have stirred up debate.
Proposal 22-1 would “amend the state constitution to require annual public financial disclosure reports by legislators and other state officers and change state legislator term limits to 12 total years in legislature.”
Proposal 22-2 would “amend the state constitution to add provisions regarding elections.”
Proposal 22-3 would “amend the state constitution to establish new individual right to reproductive freedom, including right to make all decisions about pregnancy and abortion; allow state to regulate abortion in some cases; and forbid prosecution of individuals exercising established right.”
There is also one Hamtramck election race involving three seats on the Hamtramck School Board. There are four candidates running, including current boardmember Mortadha Ali-Mudhaffar Obaid.
Obaid is running unopposed for a partial term position.
The other three candidates, which include a write-in candidate, are vying for two full-term seats.
Some voters have already got a head start on filling out their ballots.
According to Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj, over 1,700 absentee ballots (known as AV, or absentee voting) have been mailed to those who requested one, and nearly 300 have been returned.
For those who haven’t filled out an AV ballot yet, it is suggested you wait no longer than Oct. 25 to mail it back in order to avoid postal delays. After that, it is recommended to hand in your ballot at the city clerk’s office.
AV ballots must be returned before polls close on Nov. 8. You can still apply and vote by absentee ballot.
So far statewide, 1.7 million people have been mailed absentee ballots, and over 400,000 have been returned.
You can check the status of your AV ballot request, or turned in ballot, online at Michigan.gov/vote or by calling the city clerk.
Online voter registration is available through Oct. 24 at michigan.gov/vote, however, Michiganders can still register to vote in person at their local clerk’s office through 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on election day, Nov. 8, for in-person voting.
Posted Oct. 21, 2022

Get a head start on what the state ballots proposals say

By Charles Sercombe
Michigan voters have three state ballot proposals to consider in the Nov. 8 election.
Here is the ballot language for all:

Proposal 22-1
A proposal to amend the state constitution to require annual public financial disclosure reports by legislators and other state officers and change state legislator term limit to 12 total years in legislature.
This proposed constitutional amendment would:
• Require members of legislature, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and attorney general file annual public financial disclosure reports after 2023, including assets, liabilities, income sources, future employment agreements, gifts, travel reimbursements, and positions held in organizations except religious, social, and political organizations.
• Require legislature implement but not limit or restrict reporting requirements.
• Replace current term limits for state representatives and state senators with a 12-year total limit in any combination between house and senate, except a person elected to senate in 2022 may be elected the number of times allowed when that person became a candidate.
Should this proposal be adopted?
[ ] YES
[ ] NO

Proposal 22-2
A proposal to amend the state constitution to add provisions regarding elections.
This proposed constitutional amendment would:
• Recognize fundamental right to vote without harassing conduct;
• Require military or overseas ballots be counted if postmarked by election day;
• Provide voter right to verify identity with photo ID or signed statement;
• Provide voter right to single application to vote absentee in all elections;
• Require state-funded absentee-ballot drop boxes, and postage for absentee applications and ballots;
• Provide that only election officials may conduct post-election audits;
• Require nine days of early in-person voting;
• Allow donations to fund elections, which must be disclosed;
• Require canvass boards certify election results based only on the official records of votes cast.
Should this proposal be adopted?
[ ] YES
[ ] NO

Proposal 22-3
A proposal to amend the state constitution to establish new individual right to reproductive freedom, including right to make all decisions about pregnancy and abortion; allow state to regulate abortion in some cases; and forbid prosecution of individuals exercising established right.
This proposed constitutional amendment would:
• Establish new individual right to reproductive freedom, including right to make and carry out all decisions about pregnancy, such as prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, abortion, miscarriage management, and infertility;
• Allow state to regulate abortion after fetal viability, but not prohibit if medically needed to protect a patient’s life or physical or mental health;
• Forbid state discrimination in enforcement of this right; prohibit prosecution of an individual, or a person helping a pregnant individual, for exercising rights established by this amendment;
• Invalidate state laws conflicting with this amendment.
Should this proposal be adopted?
[ ] YES
[ ] NO