By By SPIROS GALLOS / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Voters who won't be able to make it to the polls Nov. 2 can still apply to vote via absentee ballot.
While the polls in the city of Niles, and Niles and Howard townships will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., voters who can't get to the polls Tuesday still have a chance to vote.
Registered voters in the city of Niles have until 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 30 to apply for an absentee ballot. Niles City Clerk Ruth Harte will be in her office at city hall from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. to take applications.
Voters living in Niles Township also have until 2 p.m on Oct. 30 to apply for an absentee ballot, while Howard Township residents must register to vote absentee by Friday, Oct. 29.
Residents living in Niles City and Township can vote via absentee ballot in person Monday, Nov. 1 until 4 p.m. City residents can vote at city hall, township residents can vote at the Niles Township Hall.
Howard Township residents can vote absentee in person at the Howard Township Business office on Oct. 30 until 2 p.m.
All mailed absentee ballots must be received by the local clerk's office no later than 8 p.m., when polls close on election day, Nov. 2, although voters are encouraged to mail their ballots early to ensure they are received in time.
The only way a voter can receive an absentee ballot after the deadline has passed is if an extreme emergency forces them from attending the polls.
Harte gave some examples of extreme emergencies such as a voter falling ill and being hospitalized or a voter getting into an accident which prevents them from getting to the polls.
For those who can make it out to the polls, there is one polling place for each precinct which voters live in.
In the city of Niles, the precincts are set up the same as the city wards.
Voters living in the first precinct can vote at Niles High School, 1441 Eagle St. Those living in the second precinct should go to Eastside Elementary School, 315 N. 14th St. The polling place in the third precinct is the Niles City Fire Station, 1345 East Main St. Voters in the fourth precinct will vote at the Westside Administration Building, 111 Spruce St.
In Niles Township, voters in the first precinct can vote at the Fairland Church, 1811 River Bluff Road. Voters in the second precinct should go to Oak Manor Elementary School, One Tyler St.
The polling place for the third precinct is Brandywine Middle-High School, 1700 Bell Road. Voters in the fourth precinct can vote at Brandywine Elementary School, 2428 S. 13th St. Voters in the fifth precinct can vote at Morris Farms, 2001 Morris Drive.
Voters in Howard Township can vote at the Howard Township Business office, 1345 Barron Lake Road, in the first precinct, and the Howard Township Fire Station, 2681 Detroit Road, in the second precinct.
Voters can vote at the Howard Township Community Hall, 1400 Barron Lake Road, in the third precinct.
Voters can only vote at the polling place for the precinct they live in.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2.