Voting in Mount Pleasant, Isabella County to differ on Election Day

ark — Andrew Kuhn/Staff Photographer Democratic Michigan State Representative candidate and Coleman native, Adam Lawrence, talks with supporters Tuesday evening at the Brass Cafe and Saloon located at 128 South Main Street in Mount Pleasant. "Right now I feel like as far as Michigan legislature goes, the education, specifically teachers, are under attack," said Lawrence. "I have a very special and personal relationship with some of the teachers that were important in my life growing up so that was my immediate ticket in."

So, you've voted. The polls are closed and you've made your choices for President and Vice President, for your state representatives and your local officials.

Now your vote and thousands of others goes to be counted so a winner can be chosen in each respective race.

In Isabella County, your vote and everyone else's in the county goes to the County Receiving Board to be tabulated and counted, Isabella County Clerk Joyce Swan said.

"At 8 p.m., the polls are closed," Swan said. "The ballots are tabulated here to get a combined amount. To get a county-wide total."

She said votes are electronically cast meaning the ballot card is put into a tabulator and the votes are counted.

There are 29 precincts in Isabella County, Swan said.

"Every township is a precinct," she said. "In the township, people vote at their township hall."

The county's ballot will have a variety of elections and proposals on it to be decided.

"We're going to be voting on Congress at the state level as well," she said. " We'll have county and township, city, villages, schools and proposals (decisions)."

In the 99th district incumbent Rep. Kevin Cotter, R-Mount Pleasant, will be competing against Adam Lawrence, D-Mount Pleasant.

The city's electoral process is a bit different from that of the county.

Deputy City Clerk Sue Jones said the city uses OPTECH Scan voting equipment.

To use the machine, a voter is given a paper ballot and after making their various choices by connecting an arrow from the particular issue or candidate to their selection, the voter inserts the ballot into the machine where it reads the votes.

Jones said for this election cycle there are nearly 1000 students registered to vote in the county, while still significant, is down from the nearly 3500 newly registered voters in the county in the 2008 election.

She said the city will have three charter amendments, or changes to the local city charter, to be decided on Election Day.

"If they felt strongly about Mount Pleasant issues they could have gotten a ballot," Jones said. "Students use their Mount Pleasant address to vote."

The voter registration deadline for Isabella County was Oct. 9.

Jones said student groups like the Central Michigan University College Democrats and Student Government Association helped the city with registering new voters.

She also said the voting information was also available at the Mount Pleasant Secretary of State office.

"We try our best to get to the information to the students," Jones said.