New requirement, BATA highlights of Election Day.

Tuesday’s general election will have something for each of the county’s 18,310 registered voters — and some more than others.

Common to all will be a request from the Bay Area Transportation Authority to renew a .35-mill levy that has been rolled back to .3283 mills since it was first approved in 2003 because of the Headlee Amendment.

Also common to the county electorate is a new law that requires voters to present picture identification before they are issued a ballot.

“Our biggest challenge (on Election Day) will be the new requirement for the picture ID,” county Clerk Michelle A. Crocker said. “We’re not looking to verify residency. It’s a new requirement. I’d expect the election inspectors in my own precinct to ask for my identification even though they may know me. I’d expect them to do it for everyone including spouses, neighbors or co-workers.”

A recent Michigan Supreme Court ruling upheld a 1996 law that required voter identification at the polls. Acceptable forms of identification include a driver’s license; federal or state government-issued photo identification; U.S. passport; military identification; student identification with photo from high school or accredited institution of higher learning; or a tribal identification card with photo.

Lost your identification? Don’t worry.

“If they leave it in the car, all they’ll have to do is sign the affidavit on the back of the application to vote,” Crocker said.

It will ward off problems with the new requirement, and the clerk’s office is advising township election inspectors to post a sign outside polling places that reminds voters that they must provide identification.

“Hopefully, this will help preparing for elections to come,” Crocker said.

Voters in the southeast part of the county will have the longest ballot to act upon. In addition to the BATA millage renewal, the smallest voting group in the county — those who live in Leelanau County but are within the City of Traverse City — will have the largest number of issues to decide.

There are three, 3-year seats on the City Commission to fill along with one partial term, and a ballot proposal that will decide if the City Commission can dip into the Brown Bridge Trust Fund to pay for a proposed street and sidewalk repair project.

All voters within the Traverse City Area Public School (TCAPS) district will fill two, 4-year seats on the Board of Education. Likewise, they will also be casting ballots on TCAPS’ request to maintain its current debt millage rate at 3.1 mills, which would allow the district to generate $05 million over 10 years for building and site improvements, and equipment.

Those living in Elmwood Township will also determine the fate of a 5-year millage proposal for fire equipment and operations. If approved, the proposal would allow the township to collect up to 1.282 mills (.9 millions for operation and .382 mills for equipment) each year through 2011. (See story in Sec. 1, Pg. 8 of this weeks Enterprise.).

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Polling places remain the same as previous elections except in Leland Township, where voters there have traditionally gone to the fire station in Leland to cast ballots. Beginning with this election, due to space constraints, the polling place has been relocated to the Performing Arts Center at Leland Public School.