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City clerk outlines August primary complexity, early-voting schedule and outreach for 2026 elections
Summary
City Clerk Joel Hondor briefed the commission and public on the August 4 primary and the November 3 general election, early-voting dates and locations, absentee ballot procedures and polling-location adjustments; he urged voters to check sample ballots and recruited election inspectors.
City Clerk Joel Hondor delivered a comprehensive briefing on the August 4 primary and November 3 general election, outlining early-voting schedules, ballot structure, polling-location changes and the city's planned voter outreach.
Hondor emphasized that Michigan's August primary places both parties on the same ballot (separate party columns) and that many local issues, including a Grand Rapids Public Schools millage, will appear in the nonpartisan column. He encouraged voters to check sample ballots online because August is a particularly complex ballot with split precincts in some locations.
Key dates and locations announced include: early voting for the August primary running July 25 through August 2 at three established sites (Ottawa Hills High School, GRPS University site and St. Peter and Paul School); November early voting to be expanded (Oct. 20 through Nov. 1) with a fourth location (New Hope Baptist Church) added. Hondor also said absentee ballots are available now and that voters may return them by mail, dropbox, or in person and that voters can insert their absentee ballots into precinct tabulators if they prefer the in-person tabulation experience.
The clerk noted some temporary polling-location moves for this election cycle (precinct 38 to Holy Trinity Orthodox Church for the election due to a facility issue; precinct 51 at Brookside Christian Reformed Church while usual sites are under construction) and said mailed notices have been sent to affected voters. He described a multilingual social media outreach plan and recruitment for election inspectors and urged residents to consult grandrapidsmi.gov/grvotes for sample ballots and other information.
What happens next: The clerk's office will continue voter outreach, mail absentee ballots, staff early voting sites, and post sample ballots and precinct maps online. Residents with questions were directed to the clerk's web resources and to contact the clerk's office for assistance.
