EARLY VOTING

House Bill 4090

Sponsor:  Rep. Aldo Vagnozzi

Committee:  Ethics and Elections

Complete to 10-22-07

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4090 AS INTRODUCED 1-23-07

House Bill 4090 would amend the Michigan Election Law to provide for early voting 14 days before Election Day.

Under the bill, each city, township, and village would be required to provide early voting at designated polling places.  Early voting would begin 14 days before each election, and end on the day before the election.  Early voting ballots would be processed in the same manner as ballots cast on Election Day, and would not be counted until the polls had closed.

Under the bill, a clerk conducting an election would designate the hours at which the polls would open and close; however, the bill specifies that the polls be open at least eight hours each weekday during the early voting period.  The clerk would be required to post the hours that polls would be open at the clerk's office and also provide notice to electors of the dates and hours the early voting polling places would be open.

All of the following provisions of the Michigan Election Law would apply to early voting:

o                   Election inspectors.

o                   Challenges to voters.

o                   Poll book and poll list.

o                   Notices, instructions, and placards.

o                   Security of a voting machine or other voting system.

o                   Ballot security, ballot containers, ballot counting, and ballot preservation.

o                   Spoiled ballots.

The bill would require that the poll book be divided by date and that separate records be maintained for each day of early voting.

The bill also would require the Secretary of State to cooperate with each municipality conducting early voting and provide technical assistance upon request.  [Under the bill, "municipality" is defined to mean a city, township, or village.]

MCL 168.672, 168.674, 168.720, and 168.735

FISCAL IMPACT:

The bill would have a minimal impact on the Department of State.  Any cost increases resulting from the bill could be absorbed within the department's existing budget.  The bills would increase costs to local units by an indeterminate amount.  For the upcoming presidential primary election, under Section 624g of the Michigan Election Law, the Department of State would have to reimburse local units for their costs. 

                                                                                           Legislative Analyst:   J. Hunault

                                                                                                  Fiscal Analyst:   Mark Wolf

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.