June 20, 2013, Introduced by Reps. Jacobsen, Lori, Lane, Victory, Forlini, Pagel, Price, Poleski, Callton, MacGregor, Crawford and McCready and referred to the Committee on Elections and Ethics.
A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled
"Michigan election law,"
by amending section 509o (MCL 168.509o), as added by 1994 PA 441,
and by adding sections 645a, 659a, and 661a.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 509o. (1) The secretary of state shall direct and
supervise the establishment and maintenance of a statewide
qualified voter file. The secretary of state shall establish the
technology to implement the qualified voter file on or before
January 1, 1997. The qualified voter file shall be the official
file for the conduct of all elections held in this state on or
after January 1, 1998. The secretary of state may direct that all
or any part of the city, township, or village registration files
shall be used in conjunction with the qualified voter file at the
first state primary and election held after the creation of the
qualified voter file.
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the
contrary, beginning January 1, 1998, a person who appears to vote
in an election and whose name appears in the qualified voter file
for that city, township, village, or school district is considered
a registered voter of that city, township, village, or school
district under this act.
(3) The secretary of state, a designated voter registration
agency, or a county, city, township, or village clerk shall not
place a name of an individual into the qualified voter file unless
that person signs an application as prescribed in section 509r(3).
The secretary of state or a designated voter registration agency
shall not allow a person to indicate a different address than the
address in either the secretary of state's or designated voter
registration agency's files to be placed in the qualified voter
file.
(4) Beginning January 1, 2014, the secretary of state shall
establish a pilot project to allow the bureau of elections to
handle the qualified voter file list maintenance.
Sec. 645a. (1) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the
contrary, a city, township, or village may enter into an agreement
with the county in which that city, township, or village is located
for the county clerk to conduct certain election administration
duties for the city, township, or village, including, but not
limited to, any of the following:
(a) Distributing, receiving, and processing absent voter
ballot applications and absent voter ballots.
(b) Electronically transmitting or mailing absent voter
ballots to absent uniformed services voters or overseas voters who
applied for an absent voter ballot.
(c) Processing voter registrations in the qualified voter
file.
(d) Maintaining the qualified voter file street index.
(e) Conducting regular list maintenance of the qualified voter
file.
(f) Purchasing, maintaining, and storing voting equipment.
(g) Establishing polling place locations.
(2) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a
city, township, or village may enter into an agreement with another
city, township, or village for the clerk of that city, township, or
village to conduct certain election administration duties for the
city, township, or village, including, but not limited to, any of
the following:
(a) Distributing, receiving, and processing absent voter
ballot applications and absent voter ballots.
(b) Electronically transmitting or mailing absent voter
ballots to absent uniformed services voters or overseas voters who
applied for an absent voter ballot.
(c) Processing voter registrations in the qualified voter
file.
(d) Maintaining the qualified voter file street index.
(e) Conducting regular list maintenance of the qualified voter
file.
(f) Purchasing, maintaining, and storing voting equipment.
(g) Establishing polling place locations.
(3) An agreement entered into under subsection (1) or (2)
shall be approved by resolution of the governing body of each
participating county, city, township, or village.
Sec. 659a. (1) Subject to this subsection, if a city or
township with only 1 election precinct adjoins another city or
township with only 1 election precinct, the city or township
election commissioners of each city or township involved may, by
resolution, approve the consolidation of those election precincts.
Consolidated precincts shall not exceed 2,999 active registered
electors.
(2) A consolidation under this section shall be made not less
than 60 days before an election.
(3) If a city or township consolidates election precincts as
provided in subsection (1), the election commissioners or other
designated election officials shall do both of the following:
(a) No later than 40 days before an election, provide notice
to the registered electors of the affected precincts of the
consolidation of election precincts and the location of the polling
place for the election precinct. Notice may be provided by mail or
other method designed to provide actual notice to the registered
electors.
(b) Post a written notice at each election precinct polling
place stating the location of the consolidated election precinct
polling place.
Sec. 661a. (1) Beginning January 1, 2015, the secretary of
state shall establish a pilot project to test super voter precincts
in this state. The secretary of state shall select the local units
of government in which to test pilot project super voter precincts
under this section.
(2) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, a pilot
project super voter precinct shall only be used on a regular
election date as provided in section 641(1)(a) through (d). A pilot
project super voter precinct shall not be used at a general
November election or at an August primary election immediately
before a general November election.
(3) The local election officials for each local unit of
government selected by the secretary of state under subsection (1)
shall cooperate with the secretary of state in testing a pilot
project super voter precinct and shall do all of the following:
(a) No later than 40 days before an election, provide notice
to the registered electors of the affected election precincts of
the pilot project super voter precinct for the particular election
and the location of the polling place or places for that election.
Notice may be provided by mail or other method designed to provide
actual notice to the registered electors.
(b) Post a written notice at each election precinct polling
place stating the location of the super voter precinct polling
place.
(4) A pilot project super voter precinct shall be established
not less than 60 days before an election as described in subsection
(2).
(5) If a pilot project super voter precinct is used in a local
unit of government under this section, a precinct polling place
established under section 662 shall not be used in that local unit
of government unless the precinct polling place has a secure
electronic connection to provide voting information to and voting
information from the qualified voter file.
(6) A pilot project super voter precinct shall not exceed
10,000 active registered electors.
(7) Except as otherwise provided in this section, each pilot
project super voter precinct established under this section shall
comply with the applicable provisions of this act concerning
polling places.