HB-5456, As Passed House, February 9, 2010

SUBSTITUTE FOR

HOUSE BILL NO. 5456

     A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled

"Michigan election law,"

(MCL 168.1 to 168.992) by adding section 759e.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

     Sec. 759e. (1) Each city or township clerk shall maintain a

permanent absent voter list.

     (2) Each county, city, or township clerk may mail to each

registered elector in the county, city, or township a notice

indicating that the elector may request to be placed on the

permanent absent voter list of the city or township in which the

elector is registered to vote.

     (3) If a city or township clerk maintains a permanent absent

voter list on or before the effective date of the amendatory act

that added this section, the city or township clerk may continue to

maintain that list as its permanent absent voter list.

     (4) Each voter registration application produced by the state

of Michigan shall include a space for the elector to mark if the

elector wishes to be listed on the permanent absent voter list of

the city or township in which the elector is registered to vote. In

addition, each absent voter ballot application as prescribed under

section 759 and distributed by a county, city, township, or village

clerk shall include a space for the elector to mark if the elector

wishes to be listed on the permanent absent voter list of the city

or township in which the elector is registered to vote.

     (5) In addition to subsection (4), a qualified and registered

elector may request to be placed on the permanent absent voter list

of the city or township in which the elector is registered to vote.

A request by an elector under this subsection shall be made to the

city or township clerk in person or by telephone, facsimile

communication, electronic mail, or first-class mail.

     (6) The request of each registered and qualified elector to be

placed on the permanent absent voter list shall be entered in the

qualified voter file in the same manner as data are entered for a

new elector.

     (7) The county, city, township, or village clerk responsible

for issuing absent voter ballots for an election shall send to each

elector on the permanent absent voter list an application for an

absent voter ballot for the election.

     (8) A qualified and registered elector may request to be

removed from the permanent absent voter list of the city or

township. A request by an elector under this subsection shall be

made to the city or township clerk in person or by telephone,

facsimile communication, electronic mail, or first-class mail.

     (9) Every January, the city or township clerk may remove an

elector from the permanent absent voter list if the elector has not

requested an absent voter ballot in any election held in the

previous 4 consecutive years.

     (10) If an elector is on a permanent absent voter list and the

elector changes his or her residence, the elector's request to be

on a permanent absent voter list shall automatically continue and

the elector shall be listed on the permanent absent voter list of

the city or township in which the elector is registered to vote.