June 9, 2004, Introduced by Rep. Accavitti and referred to the Committee on Local Government and Urban Policy.
A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled
"Michigan election law,"
by amending section 646a (MCL 168.646a), as amended by 2003 PA
302.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
1 Sec. 646a. (1) If a local officer is to be elected at a
2 general November election, candidates for the local office shall
3 be nominated in the manner provided by law or charter, subject to
4 sections 641 and 642. If candidates for the local office are to
5 be nominated at caucuses, the caucuses shall be held on a date
6 before the date set for the primary election or on the Saturday
7 before the day of the primary election as determined by the local
8 legislative body at least 20 days before the date of the caucus.
9 If candidates are nominated by filing petitions or affidavits,
10 they shall be filed at a time provided by charter, but not later
1 than the date of the primary. Except as provided in section 642,
2 the local primary election shall be held on the same day as a
3 state or county primary election. If a state or county primary
4 is being held on the same day, the last day for local candidates
5 to file nominating petitions is the same as the last date to file
6 petitions for state and county offices. The names of all local
7 candidates and titles of office shall be certified to the county
8 clerk by the local clerk within 5 days after the last day for
9 filing petitions, and certification of nominees shall be made to
10 that clerk within 5 days after the date on which the primary or
11 caucus was held.
12 (2) If a local, school district, or county ballot question is
13 to be voted on at a primary, special, regular, or general
14 election, at
which state officers are to be voted for, the
15 ballot wording of the ballot question shall be certified to the
16 local or county clerk at least 70 days before the election. If
17 the wording is certified to a clerk other than the county clerk,
18 the clerk shall certify the ballot wording to the county clerk at
19 least 68 days before the election. Petitions to place a county
20 or local ballot question on the ballot at the election shall be
21 filed with the clerk at least 14 days before the date the ballot
22 wording must be certified to the local clerk.
23 (3) The provisions of this section apply notwithstanding any
24 provisions of law or charter to the contrary, unless an earlier
25 date for the filing of affidavits or petitions, including
26 nominating petitions, is provided in a law or charter, in which
27 case the earlier filing date is controlling.