November 28, 2017, Introduced by Reps. Wittenberg, Gay-Dagnogo, Moss, Zemke, Camilleri, Hertel, Hoadley, Geiss, Liberati, Pagan, Schor, Howrylak and Robinson and referred to the Committee on Elections and Ethics.
A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled
"Michigan election law,"
by amending sections 497, 498, 500a, and 500d (MCL 168.497,
168.498, 168.500a, and 168.500d), section 497 as amended by 1989 PA
142, section 498 as amended by 2005 PA 71, and section 500a as
amended by 1995 PA 87; and to repeal acts and parts of acts.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 497. (1) A person who is not registered to vote but
possesses
the qualifications of an elector as set forth provided in
section
492 , may
apply for registration to the clerk of the
county, township, city, or village in which he or she resides on a
day other than Saturday, Sunday, a legal holiday, or the day of a
regular,
primary, school, or special election. Registrations Voter
registrations
accepted between the thirtieth tenth day
preceding
before an election and the day of the election, unless the
thirtieth
tenth day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday,
in
which event voter registration shall must be
accepted during the
following day, are not valid for the election but are valid for a
subsequent
regular, primary, school, or special elections that are
held
so that not less than 30 days intervene between election that
is
held more than 10 days after the date
the person registered and
the
date of the election.to vote.
(2)
Except as otherwise provided in sections 499a to 499c,
500a
to 500j , and 504,
an application for registration shall 509v,
a voter registration application must not be executed at a place
other than the office of the county, township, city, or village
clerk
or a public place or places designated by the clerk or deputy
registrar
for receiving registrations, but
the voter registration
applications.
However, a clerk or deputy registrar
assistant clerk
may
receive an a voter
registration application wherever he or
she
may be. If a county, township, city, or village clerk does not
regularly keep his or her office open daily during certain hours,
the
clerk shall is not be required to be at his or her office
for
the
purpose of receiving voter
registration applications for
registration
on a particular day nor during
specific hours of a
day,
except as provided in section 498. Registrations A voter
registration taken after the time of closing registrations before
an election need not be processed until the date immediately
following
that election . A registration shall and must not
be
placed in a precinct registration file until the date immediately
following that election. If a person registers to vote at a time
that
registrations are closed for an election, the person shall
must be given a notice, signed by the clerk, on a form developed by
the secretary of state, informing him or her that he or she is not
eligible to vote in the election and indicating the first date on
which he or she is eligible to vote. Except as provided in sections
500a to 500j, the provisions of this section relating to
registration shall apply.
Sec. 498. (1) The governing body of a township, city, or
village may provide by resolution that in that township, city, or
village the clerk shall be at the clerk's office, or in some other
convenient place designated by the clerk, during the hours
designated
by the governing body on the thirtieth tenth day
preceding an election or primary election in the township, city, or
village,
unless the thirtieth tenth
day falls on a Saturday,
Sunday,
or legal holiday, in which event voter
registration shall
must be accepted during the same hours on the following day.
(2) In a township, city, or village in which the clerk does
not maintain regular daily office hours, the township board or the
legislative body of the city or village may require that the clerk
of
the township, city, or village shall be at the clerk's office or
other designated place for the purpose of receiving voter
registration
applications for registration on
the days which that
the board or legislative body designates, but not more than 5 days
before the last day for voter registration.
(3) The clerk of each township, city, and village shall give
public notice of the days and hours that the clerk will be at the
clerk's office or other designated place for the purpose of
receiving voter registrations before an election or primary
election by publication of the notice, except as provided in
subsection (4) and section 497(2), in a newspaper published or of
general circulation in the township, city, or village and, if
considered advisable by the township, city, or village clerk, by
posting written or printed notices in at least 2 of the most
conspicuous places in each election precinct. Except as provided in
subsection
(4), the publication or posting shall must be made not
less than 7 days before the last day for receiving voter
registrations.
The notice of voter registration shall must include
the offices to be filled that will appear on the ballot. If the
notice of voter registration is for an election that includes a
ballot proposal, a caption or brief description of the ballot
proposal along with the location where an elector can obtain the
full
text of the ballot proposal shall must be stated in the
notice.
(4) Notice of voter registration for a school millage election
that will be held pursuant to section 36 of the general property
tax
act, 1893 PA 206, MCL 211.36, shall be is required to be
published
once and shall must be made not less than 5 days before
the
last day for receiving voter registrations. as provided in
section
497a.
(5) A county clerk may enter into an agreement with the clerk
of 1 or more townships or cities in the county or the clerks of 1
or more cities or townships in a county may enter into an agreement
to jointly publish the notice required in subsection (3). The
notice
shall must be published in a newspaper of general
circulation in the cities and townships listed in the notice.
Sec. 500a. (1) The secretary of state or the secretary of
state's
agent shall afford allow a person who appears in a
department of state branch office or a person who applies for
renewal of an operator's or chauffeur's license under section 307
of
the Michigan vehicle code, Act No. 300 of the Public Acts of
1949,
being section 257.307 of the Michigan Compiled Laws, an
opportunity
1949 PA 300, MCL 257.307, to complete an application to
register
to vote a voter registration
application or to change the
person's voting registration name or address, if the applicant
possesses the qualifications of an elector on the date of
application or will possess the qualifications at the next
election. This subsection does not require a registered elector to
periodically reregister or to renew his or her registration. The
application
for registration voter
registration application made
under
this section shall must contain all of the following:
(a) The name of the applicant.
(b) The residence address of the applicant, including the
street and number or rural route and box number and apartment
number, if any.
(c) The city or township and county of residence of the
applicant, and the school district of the applicant, if known.
(d) The date of birth of the applicant.
(e) The birthplace of the applicant.
(f)
The driver's driver license or state personal
identification card number of the applicant, if available.
(g) A statement that the applicant has the qualifications of
an elector as of the date of applying for registration, or will
have the qualifications of an elector at the next election.
(h) A statement that the registration is not effective until
processed by the clerk of the city or township in which the
applicant resides.
(i) A statement that the applicant, if qualified, may vote at
an
election occurring not less than 30 10 days after the date of
completing the application.
(j) A space to indicate the applicant's last place of
registration, if any.
(k) A statement authorizing the cancellation of registration
at the applicant's last place of registration.
(l) A space for the applicant to sign and certify to the truth
of the statements on the application.
(2) The applicant shall sign the voter registration
application.
Upon receipt of receiving the application, the agent
shall sign the application, stamp the application with a validation
stamp, and provide the applicant with a receipt verifying the voter
registration application. The agent shall promptly forward the
application to the county clerk of the applicant's residence or to
a city or township clerk designated by the secretary of state.
Sec.
500d. A person who has properly completed an application
for
registration a voter
registration application at an office
of
the
secretary of state or his or her agent shall be permitted to
may
vote in all elections occurring not
less than 30 10 days after
making the application if the clerk determines the person is
qualified and the voter identification card is not returned by the
post office as provided by section 500c. If the clerk determines
the person is not qualified, the clerk immediately shall send a
notice to the applicant at the address stated in the application
stating
the determination and the reasons therefor. the person is
not
qualified. A person shall be
permitted to may vote if he or
she
presents at the polls a validated voter registration application
receipt and the clerk determines the person is qualified.
Enacting section 1. Section 497a of the Michigan election law,
1954 PA 116, MCL 168.497a, is repealed.
Enacting section 2. This amendatory act takes effect 90 days
after the date it is enacted into law.