HOUSE BILL No. 6049

 

November 28, 2012, Introduced by Rep. Knollenberg and referred to the Committee on Redistricting and Elections.

 

      A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled

 

"Michigan election law,"

 

by amending sections 706, 737, and 782b (MCL 168.706, 168.737,

 

and 168.782b), sections 706 and 737 as amended by 1985 PA 160.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

 1        Sec. 706. The arrangement of the ballot containing the names

 

 2  of candidates for office shall conform as nearly as possible to

 

 3  the following plan, form and shall contain the specific

 

 4  instructions there set forth in the form and no others:

 

 

                         OFFICIAL BALLOT

     County of ................    Date  ...............

 


 

 1        INSTRUCTIONS - To You may not vote a straight party ticket.

 

 2  make a cross (X) or check mark () in the circle under the name

 

 3  of your party. Nothing further need be done. To vote for a

 

 4  candidate not on your party ticket, make a cross (X) or a check

 

 5  mark (v) in the square [ ] before the candidate's name.

 

 6  Candidates for president and vice-president must be voted for as

 

 7  a unit, and the vote cannot be split. Candidates for governor and

 

 8  lieutenant governor must be voted for as a unit, and the vote

 

 9  cannot be split.

 

10        If 2 or more candidates are to be elected to the same office

 

11  and you desire to vote for candidates not on your party ticket,

 

12  make a cross (X) or a check mark (v) in the square [ ] before the

 

13  names of the candidates for whom you desire to vote on the other

 

14  ticket, and strike out an equal number of names on your party

 

15  ticket, for that office.

 

16        If you do not desire to vote any party ticket, do not make a

 

17  cross (X) or check mark (v) in the circle at the head of any

 

18  ticket, but make Make a cross (X) or a check mark (v) (√) in the

 

19  square [ ] before the name of each candidate for whom you desire

 

20  to vote.

 

21        If you wish to vote for a candidate not on any ticket, the

 

22  ballot, write or place the name of that candidate on your ballot

 

23  opposite under the name of the office and make a cross (X) or a

 

24  check mark (√) in the square [ ] before his or her name.

 

25        Before leaving the booth, fold the ballot so that the face

 

26  of the ballot is not exposed and so that the numbered corner is

 

27  visible.


 

 

1  __________________________________________________________________

Name of           Vignette         Vignette          Vignette

Offices             with             with              with

Voted For:      Name of Party    Name of Party     Name of Party

                     [ ]              [ ]               [ ]

6  __________________________________________________________________

                 Name of          Name of          Name of

PRESIDENTIAL     Candidate for    Candidate for    Candidate for

Electors of      President.       President.       President.

10 President

11 and Vice-     [ ]Name of       [ ]Name of       [ ]Name of

12 President of     Candidate for    Candidate for    Candidate for

13 the United       Vice-President.  Vice-President.  Vice-President.

14 States

15 __________________________________________________________________

16                  Governor         Governor         Governor

17 STATE            Name of          Name of          Name of

18 Governor and     Candidate        Candidate        Candidate

19 Lieutenant    [ ]Lieut.Governor[ ]Lieut.Governor[ ]Lieut.Governor

20 Governor         Name of          Name of          Name of

21                  Candidate        Candidate        Candidate

22 __________________________________________________________________

23                  Secretary of     Secretary of     Secretary of

24                  State            State            State

25 Secretary of  [ ]Name of       [ ]Name of       [ ]Name of

26 State            Candidate        Candidate        Candidate

27 __________________________________________________________________

28 CONGRESSIONAL    U.S. Senator     U.S. Senator     U.S. Senator

29 United States [ ]Name of       [ ]Name of       [ ]Name of

30 Senator          Candidate        Candidate        Candidate

31 __________________________________________________________________

32 Represent-       U.S. Repre-      U.S. Repre-      U.S. Repre-

33 ative in         sentative        sentative        sentative

34 Congress      [ ]Name of       [ ]Name of       [ ]Name of

35 ...District      Candidate        Candidate        Candidate

36 __________________________________________________________________

37 LEGISLATIVE      State Senator    State Senator    State Senator

38 Senator       [ ]Name of       [ ]Name of       [ ]Name of

39 ...District      Candidate        Candidate        Candidate

40 __________________________________________________________________

41                  State Repre-     State Repre-     State Repre-

42 Represent-       sentative        sentative        sentative

43 ative         [ ]Name of       [ ]Name of       [ ]Name of

44 ...District      Candidate        Candidate        Candidate

45 __________________________________________________________________

46 COUNTY           Pros. Attorney   Pros. Attorney   Pros. Attorney

47 Prosecuting   [ ]Name of       [ ]Name of       [ ]Name of

48 Attorney         Candidate        Candidate        Candidate

49 __________________________________________________________________

50                  Sheriff          Sheriff          Sheriff

51 Sheriff       [ ]Name of       [ ]Name of       [ ]Name of

52                  Candidate        Candidate        Candidate


1  __________________________________________________________________

 

 

 2        Sec. 737. The elector shall then go directly into a an

 

 3  unoccupied voting booth which is unoccupied and indicate in the

 

 4  following manner, with pencil or pen on the proper ballot, the

 

 5  candidate or candidates for whom the elector desires to vote:

 

 6        (a) If the The elector desires to shall not vote a straight

 

 7  ticket. , the elector may make a cross (X) or a check mark ( ) in

 

 8  the circle under the name of that party at the head of the

 

 9  ballot. Nothing further need be done.

 

10        (b) If only 1 candidate is to be elected to an office and

 

11  the elector desires to vote for a candidate not on the elector's

 

12  party ticket, the elector should make a cross (X) or a check mark

 

13  ( ) in the circle under the name of the elector's party, and also

 

14  make a cross (X) or a check mark ( ) in the square before the

 

15  name of the candidate for whom the elector desires to vote on the

 

16  other ticket. In such case, it shall not be necessary to cross

 

17  off the name of the candidate on the elector's party ticket. If

 

18  the elector votes for more than 1 candidate for the same office

 

19  where only 1 candidate is to be elected to the office, the ballot

 

20  shall not be counted for either of the candidates and shall be as

 

21  to those candidates considered null and void.

 

22        (c) If 2 or more candidates are to be elected to the same or

 

23  like office, such as coroners, and the elector desires to vote

 

24  for a candidate or candidates not on the elector's party ticket

 

25  for the office, the elector should mark a cross (X) or a check

 

26  mark ( ) in the circle under the elector's party name, and mark a

 

27  cross (X) or a check mark ( ) in the square before the name or


 

 1  names of the candidate or candidates for whom the elector desires

 

 2  to vote on the other ticket or tickets, and also cross off an

 

 3  equal number of names of the candidates for the office on the

 

 4  elector's party ticket; but if the elector fails to cross off the

 

 5  names of an equal number of candidates for the office on the

 

 6  elector's party ticket, the elector shall be considered to have

 

 7  crossed off the name of each candidate for the office which is

 

 8  printed on the elector's party ticket opposite the name of the

 

 9  candidate on some other party ticket in front of which name the

 

10  elector has made a cross (X) or a check mark ( ).

 

11        (b) (d) If the elector wishes to vote for a candidate not on

 

12  any ticket, the ballot, the elector may write or place the name

 

13  of that candidate on the elector's ballot opposite the name of

 

14  the office and make a cross (X) or a check mark ( ) (√) in the

 

15  circle under the party square [ ] before the candidate's name.

 

16        (c) (e) A ballot marked with a cross (X) or a check mark ( )

 

17  in a circle under a party name shall be considered a vote for

 

18  each of the candidates named in the party column whose name is

 

19  not crossed off, except those candidates where a cross (X) or a

 

20  check mark ( ) is placed (√) in the square before the name of

 

21  some opposing a candidate printed on another ticket, the ballot

 

22  or where there before a name that is written or pasted on the

 

23  party ticket a name which is not printed on any party

 

24  ticket.ballot is considered a vote for that candidate except if

 

25  an elector has voted for more candidates for the office than are

 

26  to be elected.

 

27        (f) If the name of any person who is not a candidate on any


 

 1  ticket is written or placed on the party ticket opposite the name

 

 2  of the office and there is a cross (X) or a check mark ( ) in the

 

 3  circle under the party name, the name so written or placed shall

 

 4  be counted 1 vote for the person, whether the original name on

 

 5  the party ticket is erased or not, excepting cases where there is

 

 6  a cross (X) or a check mark ( ) in the square before the name of

 

 7  some opposite candidate on some other party ticket.

 

 8        (g) If a cross (X) or a check mark ( ) is not placed in the

 

 9  circle under the party name, a cross (X) or a check mark ( ) in

 

10  the square before the name of any candidate shall be considered a

 

11  vote for that candidate except in cases where the elector votes

 

12  for more candidates for the same office than are to be elected.

 

13        (d) (h) An elector shall indicate the elector's preference

 

14  on any a constitutional amendment or other submitted question by

 

15  making a cross (X) or a check mark ( ) (√) in the square in front

 

16  of the word "Yes" or in the square in front of the word "No"

 

17  opposite or below the question on the proper ballots.

 

18        Sec. 782b. If there is no reserve machine available,

 

19  emergency ballots may also be provided by the county board of

 

20  election commissioners. of the county, having Emergency ballots

 

21  shall have suitable blank spaces to permit the voter to vote a

 

22  straight party ticket, or if he desires to split his party

 

23  ticket, to indicate the party ticket the majority of whose

 

24  candidates he favors, together with the names of such other for

 

25  the candidates for whom he the elector desires to vote. The

 

26  ballots shall be used only in emergency and upon special

 

27  permission of the board or official whose duty it is to provide


 

 1  ballots for the election. and who The board or official shall

 

 2  prepare such the emergency ballots which that shall be held by

 

 3  the city, township, or village clerk, subject to the order of the

 

 4  county clerk or other authorized person. It shall is not be

 

 5  necessary to provide emergency ballots for each election unless

 

 6  same shall previously provided ballots have been used, destroyed,

 

 7  or lost, in which case similar ballots shall again be provided.

 

 8  If at any time during the election, the voting machine is

 

 9  disabled and cannot be repaired and no other voting machine can

 

10  be had to supply its place, is available, an emergency shall be

 

11  declared to exist and the voting thereafter after an emergency is

 

12  declared at that election in that voting precinct shall be by

 

13  emergency ballot, in the manner provided in this section. The

 

14  board or official having the that has custody of the emergency

 

15  ballots, when so directed, shall supply a sufficient number of

 

16  such emergency ballots to the election board for use by the

 

17  voters. One of the ballots shall be delivered by the election

 

18  board to each voter who may thereafter appear appears to vote and

 

19  after an emergency is declared. Emergency ballots shall be voted

 

20  and counted subject to the provisions relative to voting by

 

21  ballot at general elections, except as herein otherwise provided

 

22  in this section. The ballots shall be numbered consecutively from

 

23  1 up, which and the number and identification shall be printed

 

24  upon on a perforated stub as in the case where only regular

 

25  ballots are used at elections.

 

26        Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take effect

 

27  unless Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 6048(request no.


 

 1  01118'11) of the 96th Legislature is enacted into law.