Local clerks detail how things went for the general election

GREATER WEST BLOOMFIELD/FARMINGTON/FARMINGTON HILLS ​​— With the general election having come and gone, local clerks can now breathe a sigh of relief.

This year, residents had more options than ever to vote, and clerks from local municipalities recently shared details about how things went this election season.

This year, as has been the case in the past, voters could vote in person or via an absentee ballot. However, what was new for this year’s general election was the opportunity to vote early, as there were nine days of early voting prior to Nov. 5.

According to Farmington Hills City Clerk Carly Lindahl, unofficially, there was a 73% turnout in the city this year.

She said that it was 76% in 2020.

According to her, 16,706 people voted at precincts in Farmington Hills Nov. 5, with 7,929 residents taking advantage of the opportunity to vote early.

Of the 25,659 absentee ballots that were issued by the city, 24,641 were returned. In 2020, she reported that there were 37,083 absentee ballots cast, with 13,022 residents voting in person.

“I think it went fantastic for a presidential year, especially this being my first year as city clerk,” Lindahl said. 

“Early voting was smooth. We piloted the program last November, so our workers – they know the process. They handled early voting so well, even managing the line and some of the challenges that came with having such a big turnout at early voting. They did fantastic.”

Along with Farmington Hills, West Bloomfield is also one of the larger municipalities in the area.

According to information sent by West Bloomfield Township Clerk Debbie Binder, there was a 76% turnout this year, compared to 79% in 2020.

According to her, there were 44,407 residents who voted in the township this year. Of those, she said that 50% voted via an absentee ballot, 30% went to the polls Nov. 5 and 20% participated in early voting.

She said that there were just under 9,000 early votes, which was “very different” from what she expected.

“We figured we’d be between 2,500 and 3,400, and if we had a really good turnout, we’d be at 4,500,” Binder said. 

“So we doubled our expectation for early voting. Interestingly, early voting and absentee voting together is similar in numbers to absentee voting in 2020.”

According to Orchard Lake City Clerk Rhonda McClellan, there were a total of 2,166 voters in the city this year, with 874 voting via an absentee ballot and 522 voting at the polls Nov. 5. There were 277 residents who participated in early voting.

“It was very smooth,” McClellan said. “We didn’t have any problems.”

McClellan did notice a potential effect of early voting this election season.

“This is the first time we’ve done all this early voting, so we weren’t really sure what to expect,” she said. 

“We still had lines – nothing crazy, but we weren’t constant throughout the day, so I guess it made our lines not quite so long to have some of the people do the early voting.”

Between absentee and in-person voting in 2020, McClellan said that overall there were about 1,723 voters.

Sylvan Lake Clerk/Treasurer Dennise Dryden estimated that between 85% and 87% of eligible residents in the city voted this year, with 639 voting in person and 483 voting via an absentee ballot. According to her, there were 146 early voters.

In 2020, a turnout of 84.65% was reported in Sylvan Lake, with 790 voting via an absentee ballot and 539 voting in person.

“It was very quiet and organized, so it was good,” Dryden said of how things went this year. 

“We did expect people to early vote, which they did, and then we did expect to have people come into the polls and vote their absentee ballot, which they did. … I expected more people to come to the polls, no matter what the option was.”

Farmington City Clerk Meaghan Bachman reported that 6,158 residents voted this year, with 3,008 doing so via an absentee ballot.

According to her, 834 Farmington residents participated in early voting.

The turnout this year was 78.65%, compared to 79% in 2020.

She reported that, in 2020, 4,375 absentee voter ballots were returned, and she stated there were 6,225 overall voters that year.

“I would think the AV numbers are higher in 2020 due to COVID,” Bachman stated via email. 

“The precincts on election day were steady but not as busy as a previous Presidential Election. I feel that is due to early voting and the perm av ballot list. It was a great election day overall. We had our precincts fully staffed with election inspectors, anticipating the higher turnout.”

Keego Harbor City Manager/City Clerk Tammy Neeb reported that 789 residents voted in person Nov. 5, and 574 residents cast an absentee ballot.

According to her, 224 residents participated in early voting.

In 2020, she reported that 725 residents voted in person, and 889 residents cast an absentee ballot.

None of the clerks reported any major issues for the general election. 

The option to vote early was a hit with some.

“The line was over an hour at times, but all in all people weren’t really upset about waiting in the line,” Lindahl said. 

“I think they were more excited that they were voting, kinda at their leisure. They weren’t forced to go on Election Day and taking a lunch hour or trying to get to an appointment or to and from work or things like that. They picked their day and most of them knew that they were (going to) wait in line.”

Binder shared a similar sentiment.

“I think the lines were pretty consistently an hour-and-a-half to two hours, and we didn’t have many people complain,” she said. 

“Most of them were very understanding and very friendly in the precinct. Most people made the best of it because they appreciated the opportunity to vote with early voting. … I think it is a welcome addition to give people the option.”

Dryden also shared her evaluation of how early voting went for the general election.

“I think it was a great option for voters,” she said. “I’m sure there’ll be more in the coming years once they get to know it more.”

From McClellan’s perspective, the system worked the way that it was hoped it would this year.

“You had plenty of options to get out there and vote, so I think it worked well,” she said.