BRANCH COUNTY, MI (WTVB) – In an effort to deal with early voting in the State of Michigan in 2024, clerks and other representatives from Branch County townships and cities have signed an agreement to have the Dearth Community Center serve as a joint early voting site.
The 13 page agreement calls for Branch County Clerk Terry Kubasiak and Coldwater Township Clerk Diane Morrison to serve as coordinators.
It also calls for 20 workers per day during early voting which will include two site supervisors.
Hours will be from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. for the nine days of early voting for each state and federal election.
The voting equipment will include four tabulators and four poll book laptops.
At this point, it’s estimated the total cost for the operation at the Dearth Center will be about $219,000. The cost could fluctuate depending on the type of election.
Kubasiak told the Branch County Board of Commissioners on August 24 that her office will need to budget more money for the 2024 elections due to early voting.
She told Commissioners with the passage of Proposal Two, clerks around the state have been told by the Bureau of Elections to be prepared to have additional funding ready.
Kubasiak said the state has set aside money in its budget to help pay for early voting but it will have to be divided by counties. Proposal Two which covered a number of voting policies including early voting was adopted by nearly 60 percent of Michigan voters in 2022.
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