SIG. STAMP ON ELECTION DOCUMENTS H.B. 4478:
SUMMARY OF HOUSE-PASSED BILL
IN COMMITTEE
House Bill 4478 (as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Andy Schor
House Committee: Elections and Ethics
Senate Committee: Local Government and Elections
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Michigan Election Law to allow a person who was unable to write, or was unable to sign his or her name due to a physical disability, to make his or her mark or use a signature stamp on a voter registration application, an original registration card, or an election document.
The bill would define "physical disability" as that term is defined in the Adult Foster Care Facility Licensing Act (a determinable physical characteristic that may result from disease, injury, congenital condition of birth, or functional disorder).
Currently, if an applicant for voter registration is unable to write, he or she must execute the registration affidavit by making his or her mark. The date of the applicant's birth, and any other identifying information to be used in identifying the person at the time he or she applies to vote, must be noted on the registration card. Under the bill, instead, an applicant for voter registration who was unable to write, or was unable to sign his or her name on the voter registration application because of a physical disability, could execute the registration affidavit either by making his or her mark or by using a signature stamp.
The Law requires original registration cards to be filed alphabetically in a master file. The master file must contain the signature of each elector registered in the city, township, or village, unless the clerk of that jurisdiction has access to the qualified voter file (a statewide file of registered electors) and the elector has a digitized signature in the qualified voter file. The bill specifies that, if an elector were unable to write, or to sign his or her name because of a physical disability, the master file would have to contain the mark or signature stamp used by the elector when a signature was required.
Under the bill, if an elector were unable to write, or to sign his or her name on an election document because of a physical disability, the elector could execute the document where a signature was required either by making his or her mark or by using a signature stamp. For purposes of this provision, "election document" would include, but would not be limited to, all of the following:
-- A voter application.
-- An absent voter ballot application.
-- An emergency absent voter ballot application.
-- An absent voter ballot return envelope.
MCL 168.500 et al. Legislative Analyst: Patrick Affholter
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
This 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.