ELECTIONS; CHALLENGER TRAINING                                                    H.B. 4528 (H-4):

                                                                                                    SUMMARY OF BILL

                                                                                     REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE

House Bill 4528 (Substitute H-4 as reported without amendment)

Sponsor:  Representative Bryan Posthumus

House Committee:  Elections and Ethics

                             Judiciary

Senate Committee:  Elections

CONTENT

The bill would amend the Michigan Election Law to do the following:

-- Require the Secretary of State (SOS) to provide comprehensive training regarding the processes and procedures on election day and the powers, rights, and duties of election challengers for each county clerk, and for each political party, incorporated organization, and organized committee of interested citizens seeking to designate election challengers.

-- Require county clerks to provide the same comprehensive training to election inspectors.

-- Require the SOS and county clerks to provide election challenger training that included the same comprehensive training to representatives of the above entities for both precinct polling place and absent voter counting boards.

-- Require the above entities to provide election challenger training that included the same comprehensive training to individuals seeking to be election challengers and require those entities to certify the trained individuals.

-- Specify that if a party, organization, or committee issued a certificate of completion to an individual who did not receive training from that entity, the entity would be responsible for a State civil infraction.

-- Require the SOS to create and maintain a registry including all of the above entities who had completed the election challenger training and the name of the representative who completed the training.

-- Prohibit an election challenger from serving as an election challenger unless he or she was certified as having completed election challenger training.

-- Prohibit a candidate for nomination or election from serving as an election challenger in any precinct in the jurisdiction in which he or she was a candidate.

MCL 168.31 et al.                                                        Legislative Analyst:  Dana Adams

FISCAL IMPACT

There could be additional costs for the Department of State to establish a comprehensive training curriculum for each political party to designate election challengers at an election. The Department likely would incur costs beyond current appropriations to develop the required comprehensive training curriculum and training materials, along with the costs associated with providing any necessary trainings. The costs are indeterminate and would depend on the number of trainings ultimately required, the material costs for those trainings, as well as possible travel costs for staff associated with providing those trainings.

Date Completed:  9-30-21                                                   Fiscal Analyst:  Joe Carrasco

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.