MODIFY ORDER OF OFFICES

ON NONPARTISAN BALLOT

House Bill 5127

Sponsor:  Rep. Ed McBroom

Committee:  Redistricting and Elections

Complete to 1-16-12

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 5127 AS INTRODUCED 10-26-11

House Bill 5127 would amend the Michigan Election Law (MCL 168.699) to change the order of nonpartisan offices that appear on the election ballot.

Now the law specifies that the offices printed on the separate nonpartisan ballot appear in a particular order, as follows:  (1) supreme court justices; (2) followed by judges of the appeals court, the circuit court, the probate court, and the district court; (3) city officers; (4) village officers (president, clerk, treasurer, trustees); (6) local school district board members; (7) community college board of trustees; (8) intermediate school district board members, and (8) district library board members.

House Bill 5127 would change the order in which the nonpartisan offices appear on the ballot, so that community college trustees and intermediate school board members (numbers 7 and 8, above) would appear earlier on the ballot.  Specifically, community college trustees and ISD board members would appear third and fourth on the nonpartisan ballot:  those categories would be inserted after district court judges and before city officers.

FISCAL IMPACT:

House Bill 5127 would have no fiscal impact on state or local government.

                                                                                           Legislative Analyst:   J. Hunault

                                                                                                  Fiscal Analyst:   Ben Gielczyk

■ 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.