A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to Oakland County on September 25, 2024. The request, made by us at Great Lakes Wire, a media organization committed to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, sought detailed information about absentee ballots mailed for the November 5, 2024 General Election.
The specific fields requested included Voter ID, Registration Date, Date of Birth/Age, First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, Name Suffix, Registration Status and Reason, County of registration, Precinct details and Address. Additional contact information such as City, State, Phone number and Email Address were also asked for.
Further data pertaining to Party Affiliation and Absentee Status were requested. Additionally, ballot-specific information including Ballot ID, Election Date for ballots sent out to voters and Request Type (Absentee, Mail-In, Early Voting or Overseas) were included in the request.
We also sought information regarding the Ballot Request Date along with the dates when the ballot was sent out and returned. The status of each ballot whether it was accepted or rejected was another key piece of information we asked for.
As a media organization dedicated to reporting local government affairs with transparency and accuracy in mind - holding public institutions accountable is part of our mission. Access to public records like these is essential in fulfilling our professional responsibilities. We believe that we are eligible for a fee waiver as a media professional due to our role in disseminating this information to the public.
We will continue to keep you updated as we receive more information from Oakland County regarding this FOIA request.
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