Drive-thru voting comes to Shelby Township site
New service prompted by wide COVID-19 contact concerns
We’ve learned how to do it with drive-thru food distribution, filling out the census, and COVID-19 testing, so why not voting?
The pandemic has altered may aspects of life, so Shelby Township officials are using the same drive thru model to make voting as simple and contact free as possible.
On Saturday, Shelby Township residents can simply drive up to the township hall, fill out an absentee ballot form and vote on the spot, according to Clerk Stanley Grot.
“With so much concern about the virus, and we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, we want to make everything as convenient as possible for our voters to participate in the voting process during this election year,” Grot said.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday, Grot, Deputy Clerk Craig Cowper, and other members of the clerk’s staff will be on hand to assist drive-thru voters. Residents can either fill out the forms in person or take them home to complete.
All staffers will wear face masks and gloves, and there will be sanitizing stations available. Residents will be allowed to keep the pens used to fill out the forms and vote.
“And they’ll be sitting in the comfort of their cars, maybe bring a cup of coffee or tea, and listen to some music instead of standing in line on your feet waiting to get,” Grot said.
The new service comes during a presidential election that has already sparked intense interest. Shelby Township typically receives about 14,000 absentee voter ballots, but this year, the number has jumped to more 24,000, officials said.
It also comes as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation Tuesday allowing cities or townships of at least 25,000 people can start processing a surge of absentee ballots a day before the November election. About 2.7 million voters have requested ballots, many more than in 2016. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson projected that more residents will vote than at any point in state history.
Macomb County Clerk Fred Miller, a Democrat, applauded Grot’s drive-thru concept even if the Shelby Township clerk is a Republican. He said clerks are getting “swamped” with a record number of ballot requests, local clerks like Grot are “figuring out a way to make it work.”
“The clerk community, especially here in Macomb, is an amazing group of people who are dedicated to making sure the election goes off without any hitches,” Miller said. “These are Republicans, Democrats, appointeds, electeds, non-partisan, just a great group of people who inspire me every day.”
The weather should fully cooperate fully for Saturday’s event as the National Weather Service’s forecast is calling for mostly sunny skies, with a high near 74 degrees.
Drive-thru voting takes place at the Shelby Township Hall, located at 52700 Van Dyke Avenue ( just south of 24 Mile Road). For more information, call 7315102 or visit shelbytwp.org.