The Gratiot County Clerk administers elections for Elm Hall and all other unincorporated communities throughout Gratiot County. The office is located at 214 East Center Street, Ithaca, MI 48847, phone (989) 875-5213, website www.gratiotcountymi.com. Michigan residents can register to vote online through the Michigan Voter Information Center at www.michigan.gov/vote, in person at the Gratiot County Clerk's office or any Secretary of State branch, or by mail with a registration form.
Since 2018, Michigan has offered Election Day registration, allowing eligible residents to register and vote simultaneously, though registering ahead of time remains the recommended approach. Online registration requires a Michigan driver's license or state ID number, while those without state-issued identification use the last four digits of their Social Security number. Because this is an unincorporated community, there are no municipal elections for mayor or city council. Instead, residents participate in Arcada Township elections for supervisor, clerk, treasurer, and trustees, with primaries typically in August and general elections in November during even-numbered years. Voters here also cast ballots in Gratiot County races for commissioners, sheriff, prosecutor, clerk, treasurer, and other county positions. To find your assigned polling location, use the Michigan Voter Information Center at www.michigan.gov/vote and enter your residential address. Most residents vote either at a precinct near the village or at the Arcada Township Hall. Also on the ballot will be races for Michigan Secretary of State, Attorney General, all 110 seats in the Michigan House of Representatives, and a portion of the 38-seat Michigan Senate. At the Gratiot County level, voters will decide contests for Gratiot County Sheriff, Prosecutor, Clerk, Treasurer, Register of Deeds, and County Commissioners, along with Arcada Township positions. Michigan does not have a U.S. Senate race in 2026 as both seats are on different cycles. Michigan voters no longer need an excuse to request absentee ballots, thanks to Proposal 3 which passed in 2018. Requests can be submitted online through the Michigan Voter Information Center, by contacting the Gratiot County Clerk, or through written request. The deadline for receiving absentee ballot applications is the Friday before election day if you want the ballot mailed to you, though voters can request and submit ballots in person at the clerk's office right up until 8 PM on Election Day itself. Michigan makes several categories of election information available to the public, including voter registration lists (available for purchase for election related purposes), campaign finance reports filed by candidates and committees (searchable at www.michigan.gov/sos), certified election results broken down by precinct (available from the Gratiot County Clerk), and candidate filing information. Voter history showing whether someone cast a ballot - but not how they voted - is also public record in the state.