FRAUDULENT OR FORGED VOTER REG. S.B. 999 & 1000: COMMITTEE SUMMARY
[Please see the PDF version of this analysis, if available, to view this image.]






Senate Bills 999 and 1000 (as introduced 12-2-09)
Sponsor: Senator Michelle A. McManus
Committee: Campaign and Election Oversight


Date Completed: 12-7-09

CONTENT Senate Bills 999 and 1000 would amend the Michigan Election Law and the Code of Criminal Procedure, respectively, to prohibit and prescribe a criminal penalty for knowingly submitting a fraudulent or forged voter registration application, and to include the proposed felony in the sentencing guidelines.


Senate Bill 1000 is tie-barred to Senate Bill 999.

Senate Bill 999
The bill would prohibit a person from knowingly submitting a fraudulent or forged voter registration application to the Secretary of State or a county, city, township, or village clerk. A violation would be a felony punishable by up to five years' imprisonment, a maximum fine of $5,000, or both.


As used in the bill, "person" would mean a business, individual, proprietorship, firm, partnership, joint venture, syndicate, business trust, labor organization, company, corporation, association, committee, or any other organization or group of people acting jointly.

Senate Bill 1000
The bill would include the offense proposed by Senate Bill 999 in the sentencing guidelines. Submitting a fraudulent or forged voter registration application would be a Class E felony against the public trust, with a statutory maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment.


Proposed MCL 168.932d (S.B. 999) Legislative Analyst: Patrick Affholter
MCL 777.11d (S.B. 1000)

FISCAL IMPACT
The bills would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on State and local government. There are no data to indicate how many offenders would be convicted of the proposed offense. An offender convicted of the Class E offense under the bills would receive a sentencing guidelines minimum sentence range of 0-3 months to 24-38 months, with a maximum sentence of five years. In addition, individuals convicted of the proposed offense could be subject to fines not to exceed $5,000.


Local governments would incur the costs of incarceration in local facilities, which vary by county. The State would incur the cost of felony probation at an average annual cost of $3,000, as well as the cost of incarceration in a State facility at an average annual cost of $34,000. Additional penal fine revenue would benefit public libraries.

Fiscal Analyst: Matthew Grabowski

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. sb999&1000/0910