With the March 8 Michigan primary right around the corner, voters must register to vote by Feb. 8 in order to participate. Students can register at the county, city or township clerk’s office, at a Secretary of State office or through the mail.

For the primary elections, registered voters have the opportunity to vote for party candidate nominations. In order to participate in any Michigan election, voters must register 30 days prior to voting.

“The main thing that we are trying to make sure people know is that there are deadlines,” deputy city clerk for the city of Marquette, Kyle Whitney said.

First-time Michigan voters must appear in person on Election Day or personally hand-deliver registration information to the county, city or township clerk for the election participated in. New voters are also required to bring a form of identification that verifies address.

Students living on campus with a driver’s license that does not list current address can bring paperwork, billing information or mail that validates current residency, Whitney said.

“We just want to make sure that people don’t get to mid-February when some of the presidential contests are happening around the country, then get really interested in voting; by then it’s going to be too late to register,” Whitney said.

For out-of-state voters requiring an absentee ballot, deadlines depend on the place originally registered because the process is different in every state. For those requiring an absentee ballot mailed, applications must be received by 2 p.m. the Saturday before the election. Eligible absentee voters may also vote anytime up to 4 p.m. the day before the election, according to the Marquette County Clerk’s
office.

“I think that millennials have a lot of power just because I think that they have surpassed baby boomers,” senior English writing major Liana
Maitland said.

Different generations have  different viewpoints, Maitland continued.

“It’s important because we’re all citizens, and what we vote on now is going to affect us in the future,” Maitland said.

For more information or answers to any questions about registration, contact the local county, city or township
clerk’s office.