Michigan
Here’s how to get an absentee ballot for Michigan’s Aug. 6 primary election

Want to vote in Michigan’s August primary election, but won’t be in town? Want to spend some time with your ballot at home? Or you remembered it’s hot and humid in Michigan in August, and you don’t want to step outside your house?
Good news: You can instead vote with an absentee ballot by mail or in person at your local election clerk’s office.
In Michigan, you don’t need a reason to request an absentee ballot. The state is one of 28 with what is called “no-excuse” absentee voting, which is pretty much what it sounds like: You don’t need a specific reason to ask for an absentee ballot.
Registered voters who have already completed applications to receive an absentee ballot for the upcoming Aug. 6 primary should start receiving their ballots in the mail this week.
Here’s how to vote absentee from home, vacation or in-person at your clerk’s office:
How I can request a Michigan absentee ballot?
The simplest way to get an absentee ballot in Michigan is to request one online through the Secretary of State’s office at mvic.sos.state.mi.us/AVApplication.
To fill out that form, confirm your citizenship and authorize the Secretary of State’s office to send your digital signature (stored from your state ID or driver’s license) to your city or town. Fill out your info, matching it exactly to your driver’s license. From there, confirm your address and which elections you’d like a ballot for — there’s an election in August as well as in November. Here, you can confirm you want to join the “permanent ballot list,” which means you’ll automatically get an absentee ballot application in each election. Confirm your address, add your personal contact information, then submit. The process takes however long it takes you to fish out your driver’s license plus maybe two minutes.
It’s best to do this at least 15 days before an election to give your local clerk enough time to send you your ballot and to give yourself enough time to return it. Online applications can be submitted as late as 5 p.m. as the Friday before the election, but that might be cutting it close.
For the Aug. 6 election, absentee ballots come available June 27.
I don’t want to request my ballot online.
There are other options as well. You can request one by mail. Fill out the application found at michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/voters in whatever language is best for you (options include Arabic, Bengali, Farsi, Spanish, English and large-print English, as well as an accessible electronic application). Mail it in following the directions on the application or take it to your city, village or township clerk’s office in person.
It’s important you give your application enough time to arrive. They are due to your clerk’s office by 5 p.m. the Friday before the election (Aug. 2 for this upcoming primary). They can be returned by mail or in person, but the deadline is the same.
If you’re cutting it a little close or don’t want to use the mail, you can request your ballot in person at your clerk’s office. (If you’ve recently moved or you’re not otherwise registered, you can also do this at clerk’s office.) You can find your closest clerk by putting in your address at mvic.sos.state.mi.us/Voter/Index/#yourclerk.
How do I fill out an absentee ballot in Michigan?
The actual candidates and issues you choose are up to you, of course. But it’s important you follow some specific requirements so that your vote doesn’t get thrown out.
There will be written instructions included with your ballot. If you have questions, you can reach out to your local clerk.
After that, make sure you put it in the secrecy sleeve which will come included with your ballot, and then in the return envelope. From there, you have to sign and date the return envelope. Make sure you sign in the right place with your signature on file (although you’re allowed to sign with a shortened version of your name, as long as the signature resembles the original — the Secretary of State’s office specifically lists “Bill” instead of “William” as an acceptable substitution) and list the correct date.
From there, you can drop it in the mail. It will be counted as long as it’s postmarked by Election Day and received within six days of the election. You can also drop it off in person, if you’d prefer, at the clerk’s office or at a drop box located around your city. You can look up those locations on the Secretary of State’s website.
More: ‘Whole new world’: 9 ways Michigan elections have changed
How can I trust my absentee ballot made it on time?
Registered voters can track their ballots through (you guessed it) the Secretary of State’s website. Put in your information, and there will be a box on the top right of the screen that will note whether your clerk has received your application or your ballot.
That website also lists drop box locations and when they’re accessible, as well as your polling place if you’d like to go in person.
When will my ballot be counted?
If you live in a town or city with more than 5,000 people, your municipality may create what’s known as an Absentee Voter Counting Board. This group of election workers processes ballots for up to eight days before an election. (Smaller towns can also do this starting on the Monday before the election.)
Ballots that arrive within six days after Election Day but are still postmarked properly will be counted after.
More: Early voting. Absentee. Election Day votes. How ballots are counted in Michigan
Is absentee voting secure?
There are a lot of different systems in place to ensure that absentee voting is as secure as standard operation.
Clerks compare signatures between ballots and the signatures on file to compare, for example. The secrecy envelope helps to keep your vote private. Votes from people who die before Election Day, as long as the clerk is able to learn they are dead, are rejected.
Michigan also uses something called the “qualified voter file” that tracks when a voter has turned in their ballot. It prevents clerks from issuing more than one ballot and also flags to them when more than one ballot from the same person has been returned. If someone were to request a second ballot after returning the first, the first is invalidated.
The Secretary of State’s office has a robust webpage dedicated to answering other questions about election security at michigan.gov/sos/elections/security.

Michigan
When can I buy alcohol on Christmas in Michigan? What to know

Christmas Cheer Without Alcohol: Tips For Staying Sober
It can be difficult to stay away from alcohol around Christmas as we are constantly surrounded by it and therefore tempted to drink. While your loved ones may be enjoying their drinks and encouraging you to follow suit, here are a few tips for those who wish to stay sober.
unbranded – Lifestyle
If you’re planning to have a glass of wine, a mixed drink or beer on Christmas, you should plan to stock up ahead of time.
Michigan cuts off alcohol sales at bars, restaurants and stores early on Christmas Eve, and prohibits sales on Christmas until mid-day.
Here’s what you need to know:
When can I buy alcohol on Christmas?
Michigan closes alcohol sales at midnight on Christmas Eve and prohibits sales until noon on Christmas Day. The restriction applies to all licensees that sell alcoholic liquor for consumption on or off the licensed premises.
Who can buy alcohol in Michigan during the holidays?
State law restricts alcohol purchases to people who are 21 and older. On Christmas, the most recent legal birth date will be Dec. 25, 2004.
However, cashiers, clerks, bartenders, waiters and waitresses, and others are prohibited from selling to any visibly intoxicated patron regardless of age.
Does eggnog contain alcohol?
The holiday drink can be made alcohol-free or include a spirit.
Spirited versions often include bourbon, rum or brandy.
What are alcohol sales hours on New Year’s?
While Christmas hours are generally shorter, locations that sell alcohol for on-premises consumption are allowed to remain in operation New Year’s Eve until 4 a.m. on Jan. 1. Patrons may consume alcohol until 4:30 a.m.
Can I buy alcohol in another state and bring it home for the holiday?
A person of legal age may bring up to 312 ounces of alcoholic liquor that contains less than 21% alcohol by volume — about 24 12-ounce containers of beer or 12 750-milliliter containers of wine — from another state without prior approval.
Can I purchase alcohol online and have it shipped to me?
Yes, in some cases. Michigan requires a special direct license for out-of-state shippers.
Bell’s Brewery notes that shipping beer directly to consumers is illegal in Michigan, but that some third-party companies can handle the transaction via retailers. UberEats lists alcohol delivery from retailers as a service on its website.
The U.S. Postal Service prohibits most shipments of alcohol.
If you purchase from a business, FedEx will ship alcohol.
UPS lists alcohol as a restricted item, which it ships under specific criteria.
Michigan
Michigan Tech coach after win over Green Bay: ‘Nobody U’ wasn’t dig by Doug Gottlieb

If you want to say Michigan Tech is in the middle of nowhere, we’ll allow it. The men’s basketball team traveled four hours by bus to Green Bay for a game Wednesday, and then four hours back to campus in Houghton, in the ear of the Upper Peninsula, and that’s the shortest road trip it will have all season.
Just don’t called Michigan Tech “Nobody U,” not anymore, not after the Division II program made national headlines Wednesday with its 72-70 win over Division I Green Bay.
The win came after Green Bay’s new head coach, sports-media personality Doug Gottlieb, made the “Nobody U” comment ahead of the Michigan Tech game ― though Gottlieb has insisted he wasn’t speaking specifically of Michigan Tech, and Michigan Tech head coach Josh Buettner didn’t take it personally, either.
Of course, that didn’t stop Buettner from using the clip of Gottlieb as motivation for his players in practice this week.
“I listened to his press conference. I’m not trying to squash (Gottlieb’s comments), but if you read the whole thing, I don’t think it’s a direct shot at us,” Buettner told The News after arriving back on campus Wednesday night. “(But) we had showed the guys (the clip). Any form of motivation you can get, you’re gonna do it.
“We were somewhat prepared that it would be a pretty big story (after Tech won) … and it’s even more than what I thought it would be. I’m happy for the guys. I’m happy for Michigan Tech.”
Gottlieb, 48, has been a lightning rod this season, his first as a Division I had basketball coach, in large part because he continues to host his daily talk show on Fox Sports Radio.
The double-dipping was embraced locally in Green Bay, because Gottlieb was certain to bring visibility to the program in an era where visibility ― and donor dollars ― are so paramount. Of course, visibility doesn’t seem like such a good thing anymore, as Green Bay is off to a 2-11 start after the loss to Michigan Tech (the game was an exhibition for Tech, but not for Green Bay), including eighth straight losses.
Green Bay’s struggles are so bad that it even led to an X (formerly Twitter) war of words between ESPN’s Adam Scheffter and Gottlieb on Tuesday, when Gottlieb questioned Schefter’s sources on a story, and Schefter responded by telling Gottlieb to spend less time on social media and more time coaching his team, as the losses are piling up.
“Obviously, everybody knows Coach Gottlieb’s gonna have a little bit of a target … hosting that radio show, he’s putting himself out there,” Buettner said. “He’s kind of in a no-win situation when the world’s looking at and listening to everything you have to say.”
Following Michigan Tech’s win Wednesday, before a crowd of more than 5,000 (including many Michigan Tech alums and fans) at Resch Center in Green Bay, many X users took a dig at Gottlieb over losing to “Nobody U.” Gottlieb took exception, saying he was “done with this crap” and that he never disrespected any opponent.
Buettner backs up Gottlieb’s comments, and even pointed out that Gottlieb was complimentary of Michigan Tech on a podcast leading up Wednesday’s game.
Gottlieb’s point with “Nobody U,” he said, was that he was going to have to rethink how he scheduled in the future. He scheduled tough this season, with games against Oklahoma State, Providence and Ohio State, and that it hasn’t looked pretty. And next up is a game at Drake, which is teetering on the brink of the Associated Press Top 25, on Saturday, It’s a fine line, Gottlieb said; he made the argument you can learn more your team losing to a power program that beating a low-level program, and that’s where he threw out the “Nobody U” line.
“We just happened to be the DII team that was coming up right after he said it,” Buettner said.
Michigan Tech, with the win Wednesday, sent a statement to the rest of a very good Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference that it means business. Michigan Tech is 7-3 on the season, including 2-0 in the GLIAC.
The Huskies won behind a 30-point game from junior guard Marcus Tomashek, who just happens to be a Green Bay native, but wasn’t recruited by the program in the years preceding Gottlieb’s stunning hiring in May. Tomashek is averaging 24.1 points on the season, not including the Green Bay exhibition. He’s scored 30 in a game three other times, and 40 once. It was fun to see, Buettner said, though he knows Wednesday’s performance almost certainly should put Tomashek on the Division I radar should be want to transfer up after the season.
Tomashek is one of 10 Wisconsin natives on Michigan Tech’s roster; the other six are Michigan natives. The school is academics first, known for its engineering. So Buettner, a former Michigan Tech standout, has played the long game since he was hired in April 2021, developing players out of high school. Many of those players are juniors and seniors now, and the fruits of his labor are shining through.
That’s the story Buettner wants to talk about, not the Gottlieb criticism. For the record, the two didn’t say much in the handshake line Wednesday. Gottlieb congratulated Buettner, and then walked away, to face a firestorm on X. Buettner, meanwhile, got in the bus, for the four-hour ride home ― a drive that, suddenly, didn’t seem so bad.
“It didn’t, and that’s short for us. The Chick-fil-A tasted great,” Buettner, whose team got paid a few thousand bucks to play Green Bay, said with a chuckle. “It was a great opportunity for us going into the Christmas break. … And people are talking about Michigan Tech, and Michigan Tech is a great university and a great place.
“It’s awesome for Michigan Tech. It’s a really good school in a unique part of the country.”
In the middle of nowhere, perhaps.
Nobody U, not so much.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
Michigan
Cage-free eggs ready to roll across Michigan grocery stores as new law begins

DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) — Michigan is all set to roll out its new law banning the sale and production of caged eggs across the state.
The law that was passed in 2019 will be enacted starting Dec. 31, 2024. This places Michigan among the 10 states in the country to ban the production of caged eggs.
But will this lead to an increase in egg prices? And who will it impact the most?
Egg Bar is one of the fresh new restaurants to hit the streets of Dearborn. The co-founder, Karl Makky, says they take pride in the food they serve.
Just about every item on the menu involves an egg.
“Even the bread has eggs in it,” Makky said.
To crack this wide open, Egg Bar place uses more than 800 eggs a day, spending more than $5,000 a month. For them, eggs being important is an understatement.
“One hundred percent. Life for Egg Bar depends on eggs,” Makky said.
It turns out all the eggs used at the restaurant are pasture-raised, cage-free eggs.
“Because that was our statement. We wanted to give the customer the best egg. And animal cruelty, we have a soft spot for animals,” Makky said.
“So you must be welcoming this new rule which is coming to Michigan starting December 31st, any egg sold in Michigan has to be cage-free eggs,” said Javed.
“Yes, I am. But I wish they would have done it from the very beginning. So now, the punishment is on the restaurant and on the customers,” Makky said. “Because the prices are going to go up.”
But Dr. Nancy Barr with Michigan Allied Poultry Industries has the other side.
“I don’t think so. Again, the supply and the demand is really the major factor for egg prices. And because of the impacts of the highly pathogenic avian influenza over the past year or two… that’s why you are seeing higher egg prices now,” Barr said.
Hear more from Nancy Barr in the video player below:
FULL INTERVIEW: Dr. Nancy Barr talks about cage free egg law
Even though whole egg prices are set on the commodities market, in the long run, Barr says supply should not be an issue. And that’s because the state law, which only allows the sale and production of cage-free eggs, was signed in 2019 and was given a five-year, phase-in period.
“Our farmers have been committed to moving in this direction, so they’ve been doing it over a number of years and they are ready to supply all the eggs Michigan needs,” Barr said.
The new requirement exempts eggs produced at farms with less than 3,000 egg-laying hens. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will monitor the cage-free standard.
Barr says the quality and taste of the eggs won’t change “a bit” and customers should not notice a difference.
“Only that the company that is selling the eggs has labeled the carton as such,” Barr said.
Barr also says that even if egg prices rise in the new year, they will still be an affordable source of quality protein.
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