Cato Township Clerk

Prior to the passage of Proposal 2022-2, and the implementation of the Permanent Mail Ballot List, many jurisdictions maintained Absent Voter (AV) application Lists. These “Application Lists” tracked voters that voted AV ballots regularly and requested to be sent an AV ballot application for each election they were eligible. Local clerks maintaining AV application lists mailed AV ballot applications to these voters before each election.
PA 86 of 2023 added MCL 168.759g to the Michigan Election Law, which requires the Department of State to “provide instructions to county, city, and township clerks regarding the discontinuation of any permanent absent voter ballot application list maintained by a county, city, or township clerk for electors who automatically receive an absent voter ballot application before each election.”
The following notice has been sent to those voters who did NOT check the box to be added to the Permanent Mail Ballot List in the previous election. This does not affect any voters that have chosen to be sent a ballot for each election.

Dear Voter:
Cato Township is discontinuing our Permanent Absent Voter Application List. Beginning with the next election, we will no longer be sending AV Ballot Applications to you automatically before every election.
Instead, state law gives you the option to join the Permanent Mail Ballot List and receive an AV ballot for every future election that you are eligible to vote in. If you join this list, you won’t need to apply for a ballot for each election – it will be sent to you automatically.
If you want to vote an AV ballot in an election, you can submit an AV ballot application in any of the following ways:

• Request your clerk mail you an AV ballot application or download an AV ballot application from Michigan.gov/Elections, and return it by mail, email, or in person
• Submit an online AV ballot application at Michigan.gov/Vote
• Join the Permanent Mail Ballot List by marking the box on an AV ballot application “I want to vote absentee in all future elections. Automatically send me an absent voter ballot for every election.”

Also, please update us whenever your mailing address changes so you don’t get removed from the permanent ballot list. If we mail you a ballot and it gets returned to us as undeliverable, we automatically remove you from the permanent ballot list and you will need to re-join.
For voters who spend significant time away from their registration address (snowbirds, college students, etc.), your AV ballot will be mailed to your voter registration address or primary mailing address listed in our system unless you notify us of a new mailing address prior to each election. Your ballot will not be forwarded, so update your mailing address before you travel.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Ginger Imhoff
Clerk, Cato Township