HOUSE BILL No. 4994

 

July 17, 2003, Introduced by Reps. Stakoe, Ward, Casperson, Stahl, Caswell, LaJoy, Garfield, Gaffney, Koetje, Sheen, Drolet, Hune, Jamnick, Byrum and Farhat and referred to the Committee on Local Government and Urban Policy.

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Michigan election law,"                                                    

                                                                                

    by amending section 661 (MCL 168.661), as amended by 1982 PA 2.             

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 661.  (1)  When  If the voter registration in a                        

                                                                                

2   precinct using voting machines is 1,000 or less, there shall be             

                                                                                

3   not less than 1 voting machine for each 500 active registered               

                                                                                

4   electors at the general November election and at the primary                

                                                                                

5   immediately  preceding  before that election.   When  If the                

                                                                                

6   registration in a precinct using voting machines is more than               

                                                                                

7   1,000 and less than 3,000, there shall be at least 1 voting                 

                                                                                

8   machine for each 600 active registered electors at the general              

                                                                                

9   November election and at the primary immediately  preceding                 

                                                                                

10  before that election.  At other primaries and elections, the                

                                                                                

11  number of voting machines  shall be  is at the discretion of the            

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   local election commission.  In making this determination, the               

                                                                                

2   local election commission shall take into consideration the                 

                                                                                

3   number of choices the voter must make, the percentage of                    

                                                                                

4   registered voters who voted at the last similar election in the             

                                                                                

5   jurisdiction, and the intensity of the interest of the electors             

                                                                                

6   in the jurisdiction concerning the candidates and proposals to be           

                                                                                

7   voted upon.   When  If the number of registered voters who voted            

                                                                                

8   at the last similar election in the precinct by absentee ballot             

                                                                                

9   exceeded 18% of the total number of registered voters who voted             

                                                                                

10  in the precinct, the local election commission may reduce the               

                                                                                

11  number of voting machines accordingly.  If the registration in a            

                                                                                

12  precinct using voting machines exceeds 2,999, the precinct shall            

                                                                                

13  be divided or rearranged.                                                   

                                                                                

14      (2) Except as provided in subsection (3), city and township                 

                                                                                

15  election commissions shall divide precincts according to law, not           

                                                                                

16  later than 210 days before the primary  next preceding  that is             

                                                                                

17  immediately before the general November election, and shall                 

                                                                                

18  immediately notify the county clerk of the number of registered             

                                                                                

19  voters in each precinct in the city or township.  The county                

                                                                                

20  clerk shall notify the secretary of state not later than 200 days           

                                                                                

21  before the primary of a precinct in the clerk's county  which               

                                                                                

22  that has not been divided according to law.  , and the  The                 

                                                                                

23  secretary of state shall  proceed to  make divisions as are                 

                                                                                

24  necessary at the expense of the city or township involved, not              

                                                                                

25  later than 180 days before the primary  next preceding  that is             

                                                                                

26  immediately before the general November election.  If the                   

                                                                                

27  election commission of a city, village, or township using voting            


                                                                                

1   machines decides to use paper ballots for a primary or election,            

                                                                                

2   the preceding limitations  shall  continue for that election.  A            

                                                                                

3   division of precincts shall be made effective not later than 180            

                                                                                

4   days before the primary election  next preceding  that is                   

                                                                                

5   immediately before the general November election.                           

                                                                                

6       (3) In the second year following each federal census,                       

                                                                                

7   precincts shall be divided  pursuant to  as provided in this                

                                                                                

8   subsection.  City and township election commissions shall divide            

                                                                                

9   precincts  ,  not later than 120 days before the primary election           

                                                                                

10  next preceding  that is immediately before the general November            

                                                                                

11  election  in order  so that a precinct, as far as is practical,             

                                                                                

12  is not split between districts and does not exceed 2,999                    

                                                                                

13  registered voters.  , and  The city or township election                    

                                                                                

14  commission shall immediately notify the county clerk of the                 

                                                                                

15  number of registered voters in each precinct in each city or                

                                                                                

16  township.  The county clerk shall notify the secretary of state             

                                                                                

17  not later than 110 days before the primary of any precincts in              

                                                                                

18  the county  which  that have not been divided, and the secretary            

                                                                                

19  of state shall  proceed to  make the necessary divisions  as are            

                                                                                

20  necessary  at the expense of the city or township involved  ,               

                                                                                

21  not later than 90 days before the primary election  next                    

                                                                                

22  preceding  that is immediately before the general November                  

                                                                                

23  election.  The division of precincts shall be made effective not            

                                                                                

24  later than 90 days before the primary election.  The secretary of           

                                                                                

25  state may authorize, upon written request by a city or township             

                                                                                

26  election commission, a later division of a precinct  which  that            

                                                                                

27  contains portions of more than 1 elective district.  All precinct           


                                                                                

1   divisions shall be completed not later than 90 days before the              

                                                                                

2   primary election  next preceding  that is immediately before the            

                                                                                

3   general November election.