STERLING HEIGHTS (WXYZ) — A new election center has been opened within the Sterling Heights Senior Center, 40200 Utica Road, and it's designed to keep voter safety in mind.
Residents will be able to register to vote, apply for absent voter ballots and apply to be a precinct worker at the new location, according to the Sterling Heights City Clerk.
“In the month leading up to any election, the City Clerk’s office is always extremely busy. This year, COVID safety restrictions have added an element that could result in longer wait times due to heavy City Hall patronage,” said Sterling Heights City Clerk Melanie Ryska. “Despite that, we are committed to ensuring every single one of our residents can exercise their right to vote in a safe and efficient manner. This new Election Center affords our residents the opportunity to stay safe through social distancing in a larger, more open space away from City Hall while still taking care of important election business.”
There are currently 45 voting precincts in the city. Still, a large portion of voters have opted into absentee ballots. To date, the city clerk's office has issued more than 23,000 abesentee ballots for this year's elections, which is a 177 percent increase since the August 2016 elections.
The new election center is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. And on Saturday, Aug. 1, the center will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
