HOUSE BILL No. 4626

 

May 6, 2003, Introduced by Reps. Stakoe, Stahl, LaJoy, Taub, Gaffney, Bieda, Brandenburg and Pastor and referred to the Committee on Local Government and Urban Policy.

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Michigan election law,"                                                    

                                                                                

    by amending sections 653a and 769a (MCL 168.653a and 168.769a),             

                                                                                

    section 653a as added by 1982 PA 2 and section 769a as added by             

                                                                                

    1980 PA 140.                                                                

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 653a.  (1) On receipt of the notice from the county                    

                                                                                

2   clerk  pursuant to  under section 652, the clerk of each city and           

                                                                                

3   township shall give notice of the time and place at which the               

                                                                                

4   election is to be held, the offices to be filled, and the                   

                                                                                

5   proposals to be submitted to the voters.  If the notice pertains            

                                                                                

6   to a special election for the purpose of voting  upon  on a                 

                                                                                

7   proposal, the proposal, as it will appear on the ballot, shall be           

                                                                                

8   contained in the notice.  The notice shall be published at least            

                                                                                

9   twice in a newspaper published, or of general circulation, in the           

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   city or township.  The first publication shall be not less than             

                                                                                

2   10 days before the election.  The notice shall be in                        

                                                                                

3   substantially the following form:                                           

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

4                            ELECTION NOTICE                                    

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

5   To the qualified electors of the city or township________________           

                                                                                

6   notice is hereby given that a____________________________________           

                                                                                

7                     (indicate whether regular, special, or primary)           

                                                                                

8   election will be held in _________________________ on ___________           

                                                                                

9                                                             date              

                                                                                

10  from  7 a.m. to 8 p.m.  for the purpose of nominating or electing           

                                                                                

11  candidates for the following offices: ___________________________           

                                                                                

12                                            (list of offices)                 

                                                                                

13  and to vote on the following proposals: _________________________           

                                                                                

14                     (list all proposals to be submitted to voters)           

                                                                                

15  List of polling place locations:                                            

                                                                                

16  _______________________________.                                            

                                                                                

17                                  _________________________________           

                                                                                

18                                              (clerk)                         

                                                                                

19      (2) A county clerk may enter into an agreement with the clerk               

                                                                                

20  of 1 or more townships or cities in the county or the clerks of 1           

                                                                                

21  or more cities or townships in a county may enter into an                   

                                                                                

22  agreement to jointly publish the notice in subsection (1).  The             

                                                                                

23  notice shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation             

                                                                                

24  in the cities and townships listed in the notice.  If certain               

                                                                                

25  offices or proposals are to be voted on in less than all of the             


                                                                                

1   precincts, the notice shall specify the townships or cities that            

                                                                                

2   shall vote on only those offices or proposals.                              

                                                                                

3       (3) In addition to the requirements of subsections (1) and                  

                                                                                

4   (2), if only 1 proposal or office is on the ballot, the city or             

                                                                                

5   township clerk, or the secretary of a school board, shall give              

                                                                                

6   notice of the time and place of the election to the qualified               

                                                                                

7   electors of that city, township, or school district by                      

                                                                                

8   first-class mail not less than 14 days before the election.                 

                                                                                

9       Sec. 769a.  (1) In a city or township using voting machines                 

                                                                                

10  or optical scan machines, the city or township election                     

                                                                                

11  commission may provide that an absent voter who appears at the              

                                                                                

12  clerk's office at any time during the 13 days  preceding  before            

                                                                                

13  a primary, general, or special election but not later than 4                

                                                                                

14  p.m. of the day  preceding  before the election may vote on a               

                                                                                

15  voting machine or an optical scan machine.                                  

                                                                                

16      (2) In a city or township  which  that permits the use of                   

                                                                                

17  voting machines  a voting machine or an optical scan machine by            

                                                                                

18  absentee voters as provided in subsection (1), at least 1 voting            

                                                                                

19  machine or optical scan machine shall be arranged for absent                

                                                                                

20  voters.  The machine shall be in the city or township hall.                 

                                                                                

21      (3) Only 1 ballot format shall appear on a voting machine.                  

                                                                                

22  In a city or township utilizing more than 1 ballot format for a             

                                                                                

23  primary, general, or special election, only the appropriate                 

                                                                                

24  ballot format shall appear on an optical scan machine for each              

                                                                                

25  absent voter.                                                               

                                                                                

26      (4) The city or township election commission shall appoint 2                

                                                                                

27  election inspectors who shall be in the office of the clerk                 


                                                                                

1   during the time that the voting or optical scan machine is                  

                                                                                

2   present and the office is open to allow absentee voters to use              

                                                                                

3   it.  The inspectors shall be of different political parties.                

                                                                                

4       (5) When not in use by a voter, the voting or optical scan                  

                                                                                

5   machine shall be locked by a key to prevent voting on that                  

                                                                                

6   machine.  The key shall be in the custody of the clerk or the               

                                                                                

7   clerk's designated representative.                                          

                                                                                

8       (6) When the office of the clerk is closed, the voting or                   

                                                                                

9   optical scan machine shall be sealed by a numbered seal in a                

                                                                                

10  manner that will prevent voting on the machine.  The number of              

                                                                                

11  the seal shall be recorded and the record signed by the clerk or            

                                                                                

12  the clerk's designated representative.  When the office is                  

                                                                                

13  reopened, the clerk or the clerk's designated representative                

                                                                                

14  shall examine the seal and record that the number is the same as            

                                                                                

15  the number shown on the record of sealing the machine.  The                 

                                                                                

16  record shall be maintained in the clerk's office with other                 

                                                                                

17  election records.                                                           

                                                                                

18      (7) The voting or optical scan machine shall at all times be                

                                                                                

19  sealed with a metal numbered seal in a manner that will prevent             

                                                                                

20  the votes cast on the machine to be read.  This seal will remain            

                                                                                

21  on the machine until the recording of the votes.  A record of the           

                                                                                

22  seal number shall be maintained by the clerk.                               

                                                                                

23      (8) A poll list shall be maintained by the election                         

                                                                                

24  inspectors  of election  in the same manner that a poll list is             

                                                                                

25  maintained in a precinct.                                                   

                                                                                

26      (9) On election day the votes cast on the voting or optical                 

                                                                                

27  scan machine shall be recorded by a counting board.  After the              


                                                                                

1   recording of the votes the machine shall be resealed so that the            

                                                                                

2   counters cannot be read without breaking the seal and the seal              

                                                                                

3   number shall be recorded.                                                   

                                                                                

4       (10) The city or township clerk shall, at least 20 days                     

                                                                                

5   before the election, notify the county committee of each                    

                                                                                

6   political party having candidates on the ballot of the hours that           

                                                                                

7   the office will be open and the machine available for voting.  A            

                                                                                

8   political party or a committee authorized under the provisions of           

                                                                                

9   section 731 may appoint 1 challenger to be present during these             

                                                                                

10  hours.