CITY CLERK

Responsibilities

The City Clerk’s Office is the “keeper of all information” for the City of Rockford. They have a responsibility to:

  • Maintain all official city records, including deeds, contracts, and other legal documents
  • Keep a record of all ordinances, resolutions, and actions by the City Commission
  • Provide public notice of all meetings
  • Accepts and processes applications for persons interested in serving on any board or commission in the City of Rockford
  • Provides Notary Public services
  • Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) coordinator for the City of Rockford.  New guidelines were recently put in place and are listed below:
    FOIA Procedures and Guidelines
    FOIA Public Summary of Procedures
    FOIA Detailed Cost Itemization
  • Conducts all elections for the City of Rockford
  • Registers and maintains all voting records for the City of Rockford residents using the State of Michigan Qualified Voter File (QVF) system

Photo Identification

Michigan law requires voters to show a valid photo ID at the polls. If you do not have a photo ID, you can fill out a simple affidavit to this effect and then vote as usual. Acceptable forms of ID are:

  • Michigan Driver's License
  • Michigan Identification Card
  • Student ID
  • Tribal ID
  • Passport

Registering to Vote

Residents can stop by City Hall or any Michigan Secretary of State’s Office to register as a new voter with the City (Voter registration form). Once registered, you do not need to re-register unless you change your address. You must be a US Citizen at least 18 years of age by the date of the election to register to vote.

Check out the Michigan Voter Information Center to find out if and where you are registered to vote.

Absentee Voting

All registered voters are now eligible to vote absentee if you have met the photo ID rule when you registered to vote.  If you registered to vote in person at City Hall or Secretary of State office or have been voting at the polls since you registered to vote you have met the photo ID rule.

The absentee voting process can take place in person, by mail, or by using the drop box just outside the front door of City Hall.

If you would like to vote absentee in future elections, we can add you to a Permanent Voter List.  For every election, we will then mail you a Michigan Absent Voter Ballot Application (required) for you to complete and return to us prior to each election. Requesting to vote by absentee for future elections doesn’t prohibit you from voting in person the day of the election.  If you choose to vote in person for a particular election, then you won’t complete the Absentee Voter Ballot Application when it arrives in the mail.

In order to be placed on the Absentee Voter list, you may do one of the following:

  1. Email a request to kmurphy@rockford.mi.us or bedfordc@rockford.mi.us (include your name, address and year of birth)
  2. Drop us a note through regular mail at City of Rockford, 7 S Monroe St., Rockford, MI 49341
  3. Call City Hall at 616-866-1537 and request to be added to the Absentee Voter List

Benefits of being added to the Permanent Absent Voter List:

  • Automatically receive an absent voter application prior to every election
  • If you choose to return the application, we will send you a ballot
  • You may avoid potentially long lines at the polls
  • You can take your time studying the ballot and you will be able to vote from home

Permanent Absentee List

The city maintains a permanent absentee list of those who wish to receive an absentee ballot application automatically before each election. You must still complete and return the application to receive a ballot, but we will automatically send the application to you approximately 60 days before each election.

If you are interested in being on the permanent absentee list, please contact Chris Bedford at (616) 951-7520.