Hundreds of Eaton Township voters receive absentee ballots for wrong districts

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - The state primary election is just days away and there’s already some voting confusion in one Mid-Michigan town.

In Eaton Township, 276 voters filled out absentee ballots only to be told they need to do it again. Eaton Township clerk Danielle Patterson made calls starting Thursday night into Friday morning letting those voters know what to do.

Here’s what happened: Precinct two voters received the incorrect county commissioner race. They received the county commissioner race for district 9 when they should’ve received district 12. District 12 received district 9′s county commissioner race. It’s a flip-flop Patterson said she’s happy they caught.

“We are pulling those ballots and holding onto them,” Patterson said. “And then they are getting the correct ballot issued to them.”

The error only impacts the 276 absentee ballots from those districts. If you’re not an absentee voter in Eaton Township and didn’t receive the call, this won’t impact you.

If voters are unable to fill out a new ballot, their ballot will be counted without the County Commissioner race included. If you do plan on going to the clerk’s office for a new ballot, the process is easy and quick.

David Vierk, of Eaton Township, got his new ballot Friday. He said he completed the process within 5 minutes.

“No there’s no inconvenience at all, just a short trip over here about three miles so not a big deal,” said Vierk. “I’m glad they were on top of it and I got informed and plenty of time, so I vote Tuesday by Tuesday.”

More information can be found on the official Eaton Township website here.

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