Frequently Asked Questions

Absent voter ballots are available to all registered voters for all elections.  Your request for an absent voter ballot must be in writing and must be submitted to the City Clerk's office by hand, via postal mail, fax, or email, as long as a signature is visible .  The written request may be on a pre-printed application form supplied by the City or on the absent voter ballot application supplied by the State of Michigan, in a letter or on a postcard. Requests to have an absent voter ballot mailed to you must be received by the Clerk no later than 5 p.m. the Friday before the election. If you’re already registered at your current address, you can request an absent voter ballot in person at the Clerk’s office anytime up to 4 p.m. on the day prior to the election. If you’re registering to vote or updating your address by appearing at the Clerk’s office on Election Day, you can request an absent voter ballot at the same time you register. If you request your AV ballot the day before the election or on election day, you must vote the ballot in the Clerk's office.  

Voters will be asked to present an acceptable photo ID, including:

• Michigan driver's license or state-issued ID card
• Driver's license or personal identification card issued by another state
• Federal, state or local government-issued photo identification
• U.S. passport
• Military ID with photo
• Educational institution ID
• Tribal identification card with photo

The ID does not need to include the voter’s address.

Please note that voters who do not have an acceptable form of ID or failed to bring it with them to the polls still can cast a ballot and will be asked to sign a brief affidavit stating that they're not in possession of a photo ID.

August Primary

You cannot "split" your ticket (i.e., vote in more than one party column) when voting in the August primary. Voters participating in an August primary must confine their votes to a single party column.

November General Election

You can "split" your ticket when voting in the November general election.  A voter participating in a November general election who wishes to cast a "split" ticket can vote for individual candidates of his or her choice under any party. 

Yes. Under state law, you may request assistance from the precinct board for voting assistance. When a voter asks the precinct board for voting assistance, two election inspectors who have expressed a preference for different political parties must provide the needed help. Under federal law, a voter who is blind, disabled or unable to read or write may be assisted with his or her ballot by any person of the voter's choice, other than the voter's employer or agent of that employer or an officer or agent of a union the voter belongs to.

Yes. A minor child may accompany a voter in the voting booth at an election. Anyone under the age of 18 years is regarded as a minor child under state election law.

No. Voter registration is permanent, however if you move from one community to another or change your name, you must re-register to vote.  State law requires that you register to vote at the address shown on your Michigan Driver’s License. 

Your polling location and precinct number are located on your voter ID card. If you do not have your voter ID card, you may obtain this information by calling (269) 966-3348 or visit the State of Michigan Voter Website.

You can check on the status of your absent voter ballot request by contacting your city or township clerk's office. Voters can obtain contact information for their clerk by using the Michigan Voter Information Center.

To register to vote, you must be all of the following:

• A U.S. citizen
• At least 18 years old by Election Day
• A resident of the State of Michigan
• A resident of the City of Battle Creek

How to Register:

Eligible citizens may become registered to vote in a variety of ways, at any time through Election Day.  Individuals who register to vote within the 14-day period immediately preceding an election must appear in person at their city or township clerk’s office and provide proof of residency. 

Individuals using any other method must register to vote at least 15 days before Election Day and are not required to provide proof of residency.  Other methods of registration include an application obtained at one of the following locations: 

• Your local Secretary of State branch office 
• Your local county, city, or township clerk's office
• Offices of several state agencies, like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Community Health, and the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
• Military recruitment centers
• Voter registration drives
• Online at www.Michigan.gov/sos

Michigan law states that the same address must be used for voter registration and driver's license purposes. That means, if the residence address you provide on the application differs from the address shown on a driver's license or personal identification card issued by the state of Michigan, the Secretary of State will automatically change your driver's license or personal ID card address to match the residence address entered on this form. If a change is made, the Secretary of State will mail you an address update sticker for your driver's license or personal ID card.

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If you are a military or overseas civilian voter who is eligible to vote in Michigan and you are living outside the U.S., you may send a Federal Postcard Application to register to vote and request an application. This application is distributed through U.S. embassies and military bases.

The use of video cameras, still cameras and other recording devices are prohibited in the polls when they are open for voting. This includes still cameras and other recording features built into many cell phones. The ban applies to all voters, challengers, poll watchers and election workers. Exceptions are made for credentialed members of the news media though certain restrictions and for voters wishing to take a photograph of their own ballot.

Voters may take a photograph of their own ballot but only while they are within the voting booth. However, the following actions are prohibited:

• Taking “selfies” of themselves, either in the voting booth or anywhere within the area where people are voting.
• Taking any other type of photograph within the area where people are voting. 
• Sharing images of a voted ballot within 100 feet from the polling place – the buffer zone where electioneering is prohibited

If you move within the City of Battle Creek, a change of address should be made with the Clerk’s Office, at a Secretary of State Branch Office, or by visiting ExpressSOS.com. If you have not completed a change of address prior to Election Day, you will not lose your right to vote. You can vote one last time in the precinct where registered.  A voter registration form can be completed at the precinct to register at your new address for the next election.

If you move outside the City of Battle Creek, a change of address should be made at your new Local Clerk’s Office, a Secretary of State Branch Office, or by visiting ExpressSOS.com. 

Write “Return to Sender - Does Not Live Here” on the card and put it back in your mailbox for your postal carrier to pick up.

Returning mail for someone who no longer lives at your address - or has passed away - helps the Clerk’s Office keep voter rolls accurate and up to date.

When a Voter ID card is returned, it tells us the voter may no longer live at that address - or may have passed away. Here’s what happens next:

• The voter’s record is marked “Verify" in the QVF system.
• We send a confirmation notice to the voter.
  • This notice can be forwarded, so if the voter filed a change of address with USPS, it may reach them at their new address or be returned to us with forwarding information.
•  If we get a forwarding address, we mail the notice to that new address.
• If the voter comes to vote or requests an Absentee Ballot while their record is marked “Verify,” they must confirm their address before receiving a ballot.

What happens if the confirmation notice comes back as undeliverable?

• The voter’s record is updated to “Challenged.”
• The voter must then provide proof of address the next time they vote.
• Their registration begins a cancellation countdown:
• If they do not vote by the second November General Election (held in even‑numbered years) after the notice is sent, their voter registration will be cancelled.

Write “Return to Sender - Deceased” on the card or election mail and put it back in your mailbox for your postal carrier to pick up.

• The Clerk’s Office will research and verify the death using state death records or other official information.
• If the death can be confirmed, the voter’s registration is cancelled.
• If death records cannot be fully verified, the voter’s record will be placed in the “Verify” status and follow the same process used for voters who may have moved.

Returning mail for someone who no longer lives at your address - or has passed away - helps the Clerk’s Office keep voter rolls accurate and up to date.