It shall be the duty of county, city and township clerks to keep safeguarded all official ballots for absent voters' use. The said township or city clerk shall have the right to open the package or packages of absent voter ballots received by him for any precinct in his township or city, provided he shall receive application for absent voter ballots from any qualified elector of such precinct, but not otherwise. He shall in no case open any of the other packages of official ballots but shall keep them intact in some safe and secure place, and shall deliver them and other election supplies, together with the absent voter ballots remaining in his possession, to the chairman or some member of the board of inspectors of election of the proper precinct or precincts of his township or city, as the case may be, before 7 o'clock in the forenoon of the day of election. On delivery of said ballots to the chairman or some other member of the board of election, said clerk shall take a receipt therefor, which receipt he shall file in his office.
MCL 168.715