Bill Text: MI HB4368 | 2009-2010 | 95th Legislature | Introduced

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Bill Title: Elections; voting procedures; early voting; provide for. Amends secs. 720 & 735 of 1954 PA 116 (MCL 168.720 & 168.735) & adds sec. 720a.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2009-02-24 - Printed Bill Filed 02/20/2009 [HB4368 Detail]

Download: Michigan-2009-HB4368-Introduced.html

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HOUSE BILL No. 4368

 

February 19, 2009, Introduced by Reps. Stanley, Miller, Bledsoe, Lemmons, Hammel, Switalski, Young, Jackson and Durhal and referred to the Committee on Ethics and Elections.

 

     A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled

 

"Michigan election law,"

 

by amending sections 720 and 735 (MCL 168.720 and 168.735), section

 

735 as amended by 2004 PA 92, and by adding section 720a.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 720. (1) On the day of any an election, the polls shall

 

be opened open at 7 o'clock in the forenoon, a.m. and shall be

 

continuously open until 8 o'clock in the afternoon and no longer.

 

Every p.m. Each qualified elector present and in line at the polls

 

at the hour prescribed for the closing thereof time shall be

 

allowed to vote.

 

     (2) For early voting under section 720a, the polls shall be

 

open from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. each weekday and from 8 a.m. until 2

 

p.m. each Saturday during the early voting period as provided in

 

section 720a. Before early voting begins, the clerk shall post the

 

hours that the polls will be open at the clerk's office. The clerk

 

shall provide notice to the electors that substantially complies

 

with the form in section 653a of the dates and hours the early

 

voting polling places will be open.

 

     Sec. 720a. (1) Every city, township, and village shall provide

 

early voting at 1 or more polling places designated by the city,

 

township, or village clerk during the period of time set forth in

 

this section before a regular or special election.

 

     (2) Early voting shall begin on the twenty-first day before a

 

regular election and end on the day before the election. For

 

purposes of a special election held pursuant to this act, early

 

voting shall begin on the fourteenth day before a special election

 

and end on the day before the election.

 

     (3) The secretary of state shall cooperate with each

 

municipality conducting early voting and provide technical

 

assistance to each municipality that requests technical assistance.

 

     (4) Except as otherwise provided, all of the following

 

provisions of this act apply to early voting:

 

     (a) Election inspectors.

 

     (b) Challenges to voters.

 

     (c) Poll book and poll list.

 

     (d) Notices, instructions, and placards.

 

     (e) Security of a voting machine or other voting system.

 

     (f) Ballot security, ballot containers, ballot counting, and

 

ballot preservation.

 

     (g) Spoiled ballots.

 

     (5) The poll book and poll list for each precinct shall be

 

maintained in accordance with section 735.

 

     (6) Early voting ballots shall be processed in the same manner

 

as ballots cast on election day.

 

     (7) As used in this section, "municipality" means a city,

 

township, or village.

 

     Sec. 735. (1) At each primary and election, election

 

inspectors shall keep 1 poll book and 1 poll list. An election

 

inspector shall enter in the poll book, in the order in which

 

electors are given ballots, the name of each elector who is given a

 

ballot and immediately after the name, on the same line, shall

 

enter the number of the ballot given to the elector. For an absent

 

voter ballot, when an election inspector removes the ballot from

 

the sealed absent voter envelope, the election inspector shall

 

enter in the poll book the name of the absent voter and the number

 

of the ballot.

 

     (2) For early voting under section 720a, the poll book shall

 

be divided by date and separate records shall be maintained for

 

each day of early voting.

 

     (3) (2) If an elector is issued a provisional ballot, an

 

election inspector shall enter a proper designation in the poll

 

book, including whether the provisional ballot was tabulated in the

 

precinct or was secured for verification after the election.

 

     (4) (3) At the completion of the precinct canvass, an election

 

inspector shall record on the certificate provided in the poll book

 

the number of each metal seal used to seal voting equipment and

 

ballot containers. Each member of the board of election inspectors

 

shall sign the certificate.