HOUSE BILL No. 5482

 

February 5, 2004, Introduced by Rep. Ward and referred to the Committee on Local Government and Urban Policy.

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Michigan election law,"                                                    

                                                                                

    (MCL 168.1 to 168.992) by adding section 679a.                              

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 679a.  (1) The legislative body of a city, township, or                

                                                                                

2   village may, by resolution, provide that at an election at which            

                                                                                

3   the ballots are counted and certified at the precinct, 1 or more            

                                                                                

4   additional boards of election inspectors be appointed to serve as           

                                                                                

5   receiving boards.  For a precinct having receiving boards, the              

                                                                                

6   board of election commissioners shall appoint a receiving board             

                                                                                

7   consisting of 2 or more election inspectors, with at least 1                

                                                                                

8   election inspector from each major political party, and shall               

                                                                                

9   appoint an equal number, as nearly as possible, of election                 

                                                                                

10  inspectors from each major political party.                                 

                                                                                

11      (2) Not less than 2 election inspectors in a precinct,                      

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   representing each of the major political parties, shall deliver             

                                                                                

2   to the receiving board for that precinct a sealed ballot                    

                                                                                

3   container containing the voted ballots, and, in a separate sealed           

                                                                                

4   envelope, the poll book and statement of returns.  The poll book            

                                                                                

5   and statement of returns may be enclosed in a single sealed                 

                                                                                

6   envelope.                                                                   

                                                                                

7       (3) The receiving board shall open the sealed envelope and                  

                                                                                

8   review the poll book and statement of returns to determine both             

                                                                                

9   of the following:                                                           

                                                                                

10      (a) That the ballot container is properly sealed and the                    

                                                                                

11  seal number is properly recorded in the poll book and the                   

                                                                                

12  statement of returns.  If the ballot container is not properly              

                                                                                

13  sealed or there is a discrepancy with the seal number recorded in           

                                                                                

14  the poll book or the statement of returns, the election                     

                                                                                

15  inspectors who delivered the ballot container and the receiving             

                                                                                

16  board shall together take the necessary steps to correct the                

                                                                                

17  discrepancy.  The election inspectors and the receiving board               

                                                                                

18  shall note the discrepancy and the corrective action in the                 

                                                                                

19  remarks section of the poll book and all shall sign the                     

                                                                                

20  notation.                                                                   

                                                                                

21      (b) That the number of individuals voting recorded in the                   

                                                                                

22  poll book equals the number of ballots issued to electors, as               

                                                                                

23  shown by the statement of returns.  If the number of individuals            

                                                                                

24  voting as shown by the poll book does not equal the number of               

                                                                                

25  ballots counted as shown by the statement of returns, and if an             

                                                                                

26  explanation of the discrepancy has not been noted in the poll               

                                                                                

27  book, the receiving board shall ask the election inspectors about           


                                                                                

1   the discrepancy, note the explanation in the poll book, and all             

                                                                                

2   shall sign the notation.                                                    

                                                                                

3       (4) If the poll book or statement of returns has been                       

                                                                                

4   erroneously sealed in the ballot container, the election                    

                                                                                

5   inspectors may open the ballot container and remove the poll book           

                                                                                

6   or statement of returns.  The elections inspectors and receiving            

                                                                                

7   board shall note the corrective action in the remarks section of            

                                                                                

8   the poll book and all shall sign the notation before placing the            

                                                                                

9   poll book or statement of returns in a separate sealed envelope.            

                                                                                

10  If the statement of returns was sealed in the ballot container              

                                                                                

11  and the poll book was sealed in an envelope, the poll book shall            

                                                                                

12  be removed from the sealed envelope for the notation of                     

                                                                                

13  corrective action to be recorded before placing the poll book and           

                                                                                

14  statement of returns in a sealed envelope.  The receiving board             

                                                                                

15  shall notify the clerk of the board of canvassers responsible for           

                                                                                

16  canvassing all or a portion of the election of the corrective               

                                                                                

17  action taken.                                                               

                                                                                

18      (5) When the receiving board has completed the review under                 

                                                                                

19  subsection (3), the receiving board shall place the poll book and           

                                                                                

20  statement of returns in the appropriate envelope, sealed with a             

                                                                                

21  red paper seal and initialed by the receiving board.  If                    

                                                                                

22  permitted by the clerk of the board of canvassers, the poll books           

                                                                                

23  and statement of returns from more than 1 precinct may be                   

                                                                                

24  included and delivered in a single envelope.