REDUCE MACHINES BASED ON NUMBER OF ABSENTEE VOTERS
House Bill 4994
Sponsor: Rep. John Stakoe
Committee: Local Government and Urban Policy
Complete to 9-4-03
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4994 AS INTRODUCED 7-17-03
House Bill 4994 would amend the Michigan Election Law to allow the members of a local election commission to reduce the number of voting machines in a precinct if the number of voters who voted by absentee ballot in the most recent similar election exceeded 18 percent of the total of individuals voting in the precinct.
[Currently under the law, if voter registration in a precinct using voting machines is 1,000 or less, then there must be at least one voting machine for each 500 active registered electors at the general November election and at the primary before that election. Further, if the precinct’s registration is more than 1,000 but less than 3,000, then there must be one voting machine for each 600 active registered electors. At other primaries and elections, the number of voting machines is left to the discretion of the local election commission. In making its determination, the commissioners take into consideration the number of choices the voter must make, the percentage of registered voters who voted at the last similar election in the jurisdiction, and the intensity of the interest of the electors in the coming election. Finally, the law requires that if the registration in a precinct using voting machines exceeds 2,999, then the precinct must be divided and rearranged. House Bill 4994 would retain all of these provisions.]
MCL 168.661
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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.