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HOUGHTON COUNTY - The early voting site for the Aug. 4, and the Nov. 3 general elections in Houghton County is in a different location this year. The voting site has been relocated from the Houghton City Offices in downtown Houghton to the HoCo Arena, 1500 Birch Street, in Hancock.
Houghton County Clerk Jennifer Kelly said the city of Houghton could not offer the usual voting space, because that section of the building has been rented. "The city of Hancock offered us the whole HoCo Arena," she said.
Houghton County residents who want to vote early can do so at the HoCo from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. from July 25 to Aug. 2 said Kelly.
According to the city of Hancock website, Michigan law requires nine days of early voting for federal and state elections, which includes two weekends.
Starting in 2024, whenever there is a federal or state election, there will be an early voting site in Houghton County open for nine days prior to Election Day, the website says. The site will be open for eight hours (8 a.m. until 4 p.m.) each day (including the two weekends prior to Election Day).
Early voters can cast their ballots in the tabulator just like on Election Day. Once the completed ballot has been place in the tabulator, however, early voters cannot revote if a candidate withdraws or is removed from the ballot for any reason.
"All of the voters in Houghton County have been mailed a document by their city or township clerk, saying that it was being moved," Kelly said. "We have done our pre-testing and public testing, that' all done, so now we're just getting everything else ready to open this Saturday at 8 a.m."