SENATE BILL No. 152

 

 

February 6, 2003, Introduced by Senator CLARKE and referred to the Committee on Government Operations.

 

 

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Michigan election law,"                                                    

                                                                                

    by amending section 792a (MCL 168.792a), as amended by 1996                 

                                                                                

    PA 583.                                                                     

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 792a.  (1) Except as otherwise provided in this                        

                                                                                

2   subsection, the absent voter ballots in a city, township, or                

                                                                                

3   village that uses voting machines shall be counted by absent                

                                                                                

4   voter counting boards.  The board of election commissioners of a            

                                                                                

5   city, township, or village that has 2 precincts or less or of a             

                                                                                

6   city that has 500,000 or more in population may decide that the             

                                                                                

7   absent voter ballots shall be counted in the manner provided in             

                                                                                

8   section 791.  In a city, township, or village that does not use             

                                                                                

9   voting machines, the absent voter ballots may be counted by                 

                                                                                

10  absent voter counting boards or in the same manner as is                    

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   otherwise provided for precincts in which voting is not done on             

                                                                                

2   voting machines.                                                            

                                                                                

3       (2) The board of election commissioners shall establish the                 

                                                                                

4   absent voter counting boards.  The board of election                        

                                                                                

5   commissioners shall determine the number of absent voter counting           

                                                                                

6   boards to be established and shall appoint the election                     

                                                                                

7   inspectors to those absent voter counting boards 10 days or more            

                                                                                

8   before the election at which they are to be used.  Sections 673a            

                                                                                

9   and 674 apply to the appointment of election inspectors to absent           

                                                                                

10  voter counting boards under this section.  The board of election            

                                                                                

11  commissioners shall determine the number of ballots that may be             

                                                                                

12  expeditiously counted by an absent voter counting board in a                

                                                                                

13  reasonable period of time, taking into consideration the size and           

                                                                                

14  complexity of the ballot to be counted  pursuant  according to              

                                                                                

15  the guidelines of the secretary of state.  Combined ballots                 

                                                                                

16  shall be  are regarded as the number of ballots as there are               

                                                                                

17  sections to the ballot.                                                     

                                                                                

18      (3) If more than 1 absent voter counting board is to be used,               

                                                                                

19  the city, township, or village clerk shall determine the number             

                                                                                

20  of voting machines or the number of ballot boxes and the number             

                                                                                

21  of election inspectors to be used in each of the absent voter               

                                                                                

22  counting boards and to which absent voter counting board the                

                                                                                

23  absent voter ballots for each precinct shall be assigned for                

                                                                                

24  counting.  The clerk shall make the determination under this                

                                                                                

25  subsection 2 days or more before the election and shall not                 

                                                                                

26  assign an absent voter counting board more ballots than the                 

                                                                                

27  maximum number authorized by the board of election commissioners            


                                                                                

1   under subsection (2).  The clerk is not required to use all of              

                                                                                

2   the absent voter counting boards authorized by the board of                 

                                                                                

3   election commissioners under subsection (2).                                

                                                                                

4       (4) In a city, township, or village that uses absent voter                  

                                                                                

5   counting boards under this section, absent voter ballots shall be           

                                                                                

6   counted in the manner provided in this section and absent voter             

                                                                                

7   ballots shall not be delivered to the polling places.  The board            

                                                                                

8   of election commissioners shall provide a place for each absent             

                                                                                

9   voter counting board to count the absent voter ballots.  Section            

                                                                                

10  662 applies to the designation and prescribing of the absent                

                                                                                

11  voter counting place or places in which the absent voter counting           

                                                                                

12  board performs its duties under this section.  The places shall             

                                                                                

13  be designated as absent voter counting places.  Except as                   

                                                                                

14  otherwise provided in this section, laws relating to paper ballot           

                                                                                

15  precincts, including laws relating to the appointment of election           

                                                                                

16  inspectors, apply to absent voter counting places.  If a counting           

                                                                                

17  place uses voting machines, the provisions of this section                  

                                                                                

18  relating to placing of absent voter ballots on voting machines              

                                                                                

19  apply.  More than 1 absent voter counting board may be located in           

                                                                                

20  1 building.                                                                 

                                                                                

21      (5) The clerk of a city, township, or village that uses                     

                                                                                

22  absent voter counting boards shall supply each absent voter                 

                                                                                

23  counting board with supplies necessary to carry out their duties            

                                                                                

24  under this act.  The supplies shall be furnished to the city,               

                                                                                

25  township, or village clerk in the same manner and by the same               

                                                                                

26  persons or agencies as for other precincts.                                 

                                                                                

27      (6) Absent voter ballots received by the clerk before                       


                                                                                

1   election day shall be delivered to the absent voter counting                

                                                                                

2   board by the clerk at the time the election inspectors of the               

                                                                                

3   absent voter counting boards report for duty, which time shall be           

                                                                                

4   established by the board of election commissioners.  Absent voter           

                                                                                

5   ballots received by the clerk on election day shall be delivered            

                                                                                

6   to the absent voter counting boards before the time set for the             

                                                                                

7   closing of the polls.  Absent voter ballots shall be delivered to           

                                                                                

8   the absent voter counting boards in the sealed absent voter                 

                                                                                

9   ballot return envelopes in which they were returned to the                  

                                                                                

10  clerk.  Written or stamped on each of the return envelopes shall            

                                                                                

11  be the time and the date that the envelope was received by the              

                                                                                

12  clerk and a statement by the clerk that the signatures of the               

                                                                                

13  absent voters on the envelopes have been checked and found to               

                                                                                

14  agree with the signatures of the voters on the registration                 

                                                                                

15  cards.  If a signature on the registration card and on the absent           

                                                                                

16  voter ballot return envelope does not agree, if the absent voter            

                                                                                

17  failed to sign the envelope, or if the statement of the absent              

                                                                                

18  voter is not properly executed, the clerk shall mark the envelope           

                                                                                

19  "rejected" and the reason for the rejection and shall place his             

                                                                                

20  or her name under the notation.  An envelope marked "rejected"              

                                                                                

21  shall not be delivered to the absent voter counting board but               

                                                                                

22  shall be preserved by the clerk until other ballots are destroyed           

                                                                                

23  in the manner provided in this act.  The clerk shall also comply            

                                                                                

24  with section 765(5).                                                        

                                                                                

25      (7) At the time of issuing or mailing absent voter ballots to               

                                                                                

26  qualified applicants, the clerk of a city, township, or village             

                                                                                

27  that uses absent voter counting boards shall mark the letters               


                                                                                

1   "A.V."  and the date of election on the registration card of the            

                                                                                

2   applicant in the precinct registration file.                                

                                                                                

3       (8) This chapter does not prohibit an absent voter from                     

                                                                                

4   voting in person within the voter's precinct at an election,                

                                                                                

5   notwithstanding that the voter may have applied for an absent               

                                                                                

6   voter ballot and the ballot may have been mailed or otherwise               

                                                                                

7   delivered to the voter.  The voter, the election inspectors, and            

                                                                                

8   other election officials shall proceed in the manner prescribed             

                                                                                

9   in section 769.  The clerk shall preserve the canceled ballots              

                                                                                

10  for 2 years.                                                                

                                                                                

11      (9) The absent voter counting boards shall process the                      

                                                                                

12  ballots and returns in as nearly as possible the same manner as             

                                                                                

13  ballots are processed in paper ballot precincts.  The poll book             

                                                                                

14  may be combined with the absent voter list or record required by            

                                                                                

15  section 760, and the applications for absent voter ballots may be           

                                                                                

16  used as the poll list.  The processing  and tallying  only of               

                                                                                

17  absent voter ballots may commence at  7  12:01 a.m. on the day of           

                                                                                

18  the election.  As used in this section, "processing" includes all           

                                                                                

19  the steps necessary to prepare the absent voter ballots for                 

                                                                                

20  tallying.  The tallying of absent voter ballots shall not                   

                                                                                

21  commence until 7 a.m. on the day of the election.                           

                                                                                

22      (10) An election inspector, challenger, or any other person                 

                                                                                

23  in attendance at an absent voter counting place at any time after           

                                                                                

24  the processing of ballots has begun shall take and sign the                 

                                                                                

25  following oath that may be administered by the chairperson or a             

                                                                                

26  member of the absent voter counting board:                                  

                                                                                

27                                                                               "I (name of person taking oath) do solemnly swear (or affirm)                      


                                                                                

1   that I  shall  will not communicate in any way  any  information            

                                                                                

2   relative to the processing or tallying of votes that may come to            

                                                                                

3   me while in this counting place until after the polls are                   

                                                                                

4   closed.".                                                                   

                                                                                

5       (11) The oaths administered under subsection (10) shall be                  

                                                                                

6   placed in an envelope provided for the purpose and sealed with              

                                                                                

7   the red state seal.  Following the election the oaths shall be              

                                                                                

8   delivered to the city, township, or village clerk.  Except as               

                                                                                

9   otherwise provided in subsection (16), a person in attendance at            

                                                                                

10  the absent voter counting place shall not leave the counting                

                                                                                

11  place after the tallying has begun until the polls close.  A                

                                                                                

12  person who causes the polls to be closed or who discloses an                

                                                                                

13  election result or in any manner characterizes how any ballot               

                                                                                

14  being counted has been voted in a voting precinct before the time           

                                                                                

15  the polls can be legally closed on election day is guilty of a              

                                                                                

16  felony.                                                                     

                                                                                

17      (12) At the time the board of election commissioners provide                

                                                                                

18  for the use of absent voter counting boards, the board of                   

                                                                                

19  election commissioners may provide that the absent voter counting           

                                                                                

20  boards shall record the votes contained on absent voter ballots             

                                                                                

21  on voting machines.  In that case, the recording of ballots shall           

                                                                                

22  be done by the chairperson of the absent voter counting board or            

                                                                                

23  another member designated by the chairperson.  The act of casting           

                                                                                

24  the votes shall be performed in the presence of and under the               

                                                                                

25  careful observation and full view of all members of the absent              

                                                                                

26  voter counting board, party challengers, and any other persons              

                                                                                

27  lawfully present at the absent voter counting place.  The vote as           


                                                                                

1   indicated by the voting pointers shall not be recorded until each           

                                                                                

2   member of the absent voter counting board is satisfied that the             

                                                                                

3   arrangement of the voting pointers fully carries out the intent             

                                                                                

4   of the absent voter as shown by the cross marks or check marks on           

                                                                                

5   the absent voter ballot.  A certificate that the requirements of            

                                                                                

6   this subsection were met shall be made on the election                      

                                                                                

7   inspectors' statement of returns.                                           

                                                                                

8       (13) As soon as absent voter ballots have been cast on a                    

                                                                                

9   voting machine  pursuant to  under subsection (12), but not                 

                                                                                

10  before 8 p.m., the election inspectors shall seal the operating             

                                                                                

11  lever of the machine against voting and shall then proceed to               

                                                                                

12  determine and record the votes cast in the manner provided in               

                                                                                

13  this act.                                                                   

                                                                                

14      (14) Voted absent voter ballots shall be placed in a ballot                 

                                                                                

15  box and the ballot bag and ballot box shall be sealed in the                

                                                                                

16  manner provided  by this act  for paper ballot precincts.  The              

                                                                                

17  seal numbers shall be recorded on the statement sheet and in the            

                                                                                

18  poll book.                                                                  

                                                                                

19      (15) In a city, township, or village where challenged voters                

                                                                                

20  are required to vote on absent voter ballots, each challenged               

                                                                                

21  voter ballot and application for ballot, after having been voted            

                                                                                

22  and properly identified, shall be placed by the voter in an                 

                                                                                

23  absent voter ballot return envelope.  The applicable information            

                                                                                

24  required on the back of the envelope shall be completed by the              

                                                                                

25  board of election inspectors.  The envelope shall be signed by              

                                                                                

26  the challenged voter and by the chairperson of the precinct board           

                                                                                

27  of election inspectors.  The word "challenged" shall be written             


                                                                                

1   across the front of the envelope.  The envelope and application             

                                                                                

2   for ballot shall be sealed and delivered to the absent voter                

                                                                                

3   counting place by the clerk of the city, township, or village.              

                                                                                

4   Immediately after the closing of the polls, the chairperson of              

                                                                                

5   the precinct board of election inspectors shall notify the clerk            

                                                                                

6   of the city, township, or village of remaining challenged voter             

                                                                                

7   ballots to be delivered to the absent voter counting place.  In a           

                                                                                

8   city, township, or village that uses voting machines where absent           

                                                                                

9   voter counting boards are not used, challenged ballots shall be             

                                                                                

10  counted and tallied in the precincts, in the same manner that               

                                                                                

11  absent voter ballots are tallied and counted as provided in                 

                                                                                

12  section 791.                                                                

                                                                                

13      (16) Subject to this subsection, a local election official                  

                                                                                

14  who has established an absent voter counting board, the deputy or           

                                                                                

15  employee of that local election official, or an employee of the             

                                                                                

16  state bureau of elections may enter and leave an absent voter               

                                                                                

17  counting board after the tally has begun but before the polls               

                                                                                

18  close.  A person described in this subsection may enter an absent           

                                                                                

19  voter counting board only for the purpose of responding to an               

                                                                                

20  inquiry from an election inspector or a challenger or to provide            

                                                                                

21  instructions on the operation of the counting board.  Before                

                                                                                

22  entering an absent voter counting board, a person described in              

                                                                                

23  this subsection shall take and sign the oath prescribed in                  

                                                                                

24  subsection (10).  The chairperson of the absent voter counting              

                                                                                

25  board shall record in the poll book the name of a person                    

                                                                                

26  described in this subsection who enters the absent voter counting           

                                                                                

27  board.  A person described in this subsection who enters an                 


                                                                                

1   absent voter counting board and who discloses an election result            

                                                                                

2   or in any manner characterizes how any ballot being counted has             

                                                                                

3   been voted in a precinct before the time the polls can be legally           

                                                                                

4   closed on election day is guilty of a felony.  As used in this              

                                                                                

5   subsection, "local election official" means a county, city,                 

                                                                                

6   township, or village clerk, the secretary of a school board, or             

                                                                                

7   an employee of a school district designated to conduct a school             

                                                                                

8   election.                                                                   

                                                                                

9       (17) The secretary of state shall develop instructions                      

                                                                                

10  consistent with this act for the conduct of absent voter counting           

                                                                                

11  boards.  The secretary of state shall distribute the instructions           

                                                                                

12  developed under this subsection to city and township clerks 40              

                                                                                

13  days or more before a general election in which absent voter                

                                                                                

14  counting boards will be used.  A city or township clerk shall               

                                                                                

15  make the instructions developed under this subsection available             

                                                                                

16  to the public and shall distribute the instructions to each                 

                                                                                

17  challenger in attendance at an absent voter counting board.  The            

                                                                                

18  instructions developed under this subsection are binding upon the           

                                                                                

19  operation of an absent voter counting board used in an election             

                                                                                

20  conducted by a county, city, township, village, school district,            

                                                                                

21  or  any  other jurisdiction empowered to conduct an election                

                                                                                

22  under this act.