ABSENT VOTER PICTURE ID; ETC.                                                          H.B. 5061 (S-1):

                                                                                                      FLOOR SUMMARY

House Bill 5061 (Substitute S-1 as reported by the Committee of the Whole)

Sponsor:  Representative Brad Jacobson

House Committee:  Redistricting and Elections

Senate Committee:  Local Government and Elections

CONTENT

The bill would amend the Michigan Election Law to do the following:

-- Prohibit a local clerk from giving an absent voter ballot to a person until he or she presented a picture ID.

-- Allow a person to obtain an absent voter ballot without presenting a picture ID if he or she signed an affidavit, but require the voted ballot to be prepared as a challenged ballot.

-- Require cities, townships, and counties to report the number of affidavits signed by individuals voting without picture ID.

-- Prohibit a clerk from issuing an absent voter ballot to a person who indicated on an absent voter ballot application that he or she was not a U.S. citizen.

-- Require a clerk to issue an absent voter ballot to a person who did not answer the citizenship question, and include a prominent notice that the person had not answered the question and that the ballot would not be counted unless he or she answered it before the polls closed on election day.

-- Require the Secretary of State to develop a poster regarding ballot coaching and to provide at least one poster to each residential care facility in the State.

-- Require the owner, operator, or director of each residential care facility to display the poster for at least 45 days before each election.

The bill would take effect on August 15, 2012.

MCL 168.761 et al.                                                        Legislative Analyst:  Julie Cassidy

FISCAL IMPACT

State:  There would be an indeterminate cost to the Secretary of State (SOS) associated with creating a poster prohibiting ballot coaching, and providing the poster to residential care facilities.  The amount would depend on the cost to develop the poster and the number of residential care facilities in the State.  Additionally, there would be minimal costs associated with the requirement for the SOS to provide a copy of the written notice on an absentee ballot that states that a person failed to answer the citizenship question.  This cost should be minimal and absorbed within the SOS's annual appropriation.

Local:  The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.

Date Completed:  6-12-12                                                    Fiscal Analyst:  Joe Carrasco

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.