By: Gena Johnson | C&G Newspapers | Published October 10, 2025
FARMINGTON/WEST BLOOMFIELD — With the general election set for Nov. 4, officials are getting ready. Farmington City Clerk Meaghan Bachman and West Bloomfield Township Clerk Debbie Binder recently discussed what to expect leading up to the big day.
Farmington election
In Farmington, three City Council seats are on the ballot, with three incumbents running. Although they are unopposed, the top two vote-getters will be elected to four-year terms while the person in third place will receive a two-year term.
“In a similar election in 2023, 22.5% of our voters voted,” Bachman said. “Early voting has been great. We share a site with Farmington Hills. The voters really like to have the ability to go to a kind of precinct and run their ballots through a tabulator. But they’re not just tied to that one day (Election Day). So, it has been wonderful.”
Early voting starts Oct. 25 and runs until Nov. 2. The hours are the same for each location: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day except Thursday. On Thursday, hours are noon to 8 p.m.
In Farmington and Farmington Hills, the early voting location is the William Costick Activities Center, located at 28600 W. 11 Mile Road in Farmington Hills.
The early voting site for all Oakland County voters is the Waterford Oaks Activities Center, located at 2800 Watkins Lake Road in Waterford.
According to Bachman, absentee voting and early voting have not had a significant effect on voter turnout on Election Day.
“I think we still have a lot of voters who still like to show up on Election Day,” she said.
Farmington voters can drop off their absentee ballot at the City Clerk’s Office during business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There are also drop-boxes located in front and behind Farmington City Hall, available 24 hours a day.
Elections workers are always needed. Those who are interested in helping can call the Farmington City Clerk’s Office at (248) 478-5500. To obtain an election inspector application, visit farmgov.com/elections/election-workers.
West Bloomfield elections
The West Bloomfield Township Clerk’s Office recently consolidated voting precincts for greater efficiency and cost savings.
The number of precincts was reduced from 26 to 20 after studying voting metrics and trends in voting habits for several years.
“There has been a tremendous shift in voters in terms of absentee and early voting that has left the precincts with fewer voters on Election Day,” said Binder, the township clerk.
She noted that most voters are voting by absentee ballot, followed by early voting, and that voting at the polls on Election Day garners the least voters.
Proposal 2, adopted by voters in 2022, allowed precincts to increase from a maximum of 2,999 voters to a maximum of 4,999.
West Bloomfield Township has seven school districts within its jurisdiction, which is unusually high, Binder said.
“There were a good number of precincts that had two (different) school districts and election workers had to manage two different ballots for the precinct,” Binder said. “It was even more (ballots) if it was a presidential primary.”
As a result of the consolidation, each precinct covers a single school district, and election workers will not have to manage multiple ballots in the same precinct.
“The precincts are now laid out according to the school district. This will increase the efficiency for the Clerk’s Office on Election Day and the preparation ahead of time,” Binder said.
This is a savings to taxpayers, a reduction in administrative costs and easier to administer.
“It will be a significant savings in terms of the cost of administering the elections, as well as when we have to procure new election equipment. With six fewer precincts to outfit, that will be a significant savings, as well as the staffing,” Binder said. “We will need fewer election workers, which means less focus on recruiting, as well as the cost of personnel.”
In past elections, Binder has needed anywhere from 200 to 400 election workers. She is still actively recruiting election workers, which are also called election inspectors.
She is the first to admit that the day is long for election workers. On Election Day, it starts at 6 a.m. and can end as early as 9:30 p.m. The township clerk anticipates a turnout of about 16-20% of the nearly 57,000 voters.
Workers are paid for training and their time on Election Day. In some Oakland County communities, the hourly rate is $15 an hour, and workers can earn around $200.
Young people are encouraged to engage in the process and participate in their community, Binder said. Depending on their role, election workers can be as young as 16 years old.
“If they don’t have fun, they don’t come back,” Binder said.
She tries to make the experience a pleasant one for election workers.
“I had a lot of fun. Everyone was so sweet,” said Peyton Skiver. “Although it’s work, having that connection with the people you’re working with made it fun.”
Skiver started working the elections when she was 18, when her cousin told her about it. She has come back for two primary elections and two smaller elections. Now age 21, the recent college graduate is working in government in Ingham County.
“I’ve always been interested in elections and wanted to help my community in any way I could,” Skiver said.
For more information about becoming an election worker, contact the Clerk’s Office at (248) 451-4848.
Early voting is Oct. 25 to Nov. 2. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day except Thursday. Thursday hours are noon to 8 p.m.
The early voting locations are the West Bloomfield Library, 4600 Walnut Lake Road, and the Waterford Oaks Activity Center, 2800 Watkins Lake Road in Waterford. Hours are the same.
To find your precinct, visit wbtownship.org and search “Precinct” to locate the map.
Precinct No. 6 is not featured on the map but can be found at the West Bloomfield School District’s aAdministration and Community Services Building (ACS) at 5810 Commerce Road in West Bloomfield Township.