August 15, 2012, Introduced by Rep. Lund and referred to the Committee on Redistricting and Elections.
A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled
"Michigan election law,"
by amending sections 592, 593, 594, 595, 598, 599, 601, 602, and
608 (MCL 168.592, 168.593, 168.594, 168.595, 168.598, 168.599,
168.601, 168.602, and 168.608), sections 592, 598, and 608 as
amended by 1988 PA 116.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 592. (1) Except as provided in section 532, the county
conventions of all political parties for the election of delegates
to a state convention for the nomination of state officers in the
even numbered years shall be held not less than 8 days nor more
than 25 days after the August primaries.
(2) All county conventions of a political party shall be held
on the same day throughout the state. The date shall be designated
by the state central committee of a political party in its call for
the state convention. The place and hour of meeting of a county
convention shall be designated in the call issued by the county
executive committee of the political party in the county, which
call shall be issued not less than 45 days before the August
primaries. The number of delegates to the state convention to which
the political party in the county is entitled shall be chosen at
the county convention.
(3) In all counties having or which may hereafter have 2 or
more congressional districts or parts of congressional districts
within the boundaries of the county, the congressional districts or
a part of a congressional district within the counties shall each
be considered a county within the provisions of this section for
the holding of the county conventions provided for in this section,
and shall be in place of the county convention. The nominee for
congress of the congressional district in the preceding primary
election, the county chairperson, and the county secretary of the
several
political parties shall constitute constitutes a committee
in each congressional district to name the temporary chairperson of
the first district convention held under this act. Thereafter, the
district chairperson shall act as temporary chairperson. The
convention shall organize the same as county conventions and shall
elect delegates to the state convention. The chairperson and
secretary of the convention shall certify to the state central
committee the names and addresses of the delegates elected, and,
when certified, those delegates shall become the delegates from the
district to the state convention.
Sec. 593. A state convention of all political parties shall be
held not less than 37 days before the first Monday of April in
every odd numbered year. The state central committee of each
political
party shall cause to be forwarded by mail to the chairman
chairperson
of the county executive committee of such the
political
party
in each county a copy of the call for said the state
convention
of such the political party, showing the number of
delegates to which each county shall be entitled in the state
convention
of such the political party. ; and the said The state
central
committee shall apportion such the
delegates to the several
counties in proportion and according to the number of votes cast
for
the candidate of such the
political party for secretary of
state
in each of said the counties, respectively, at the last
preceding November election. The particular day and the hour and
place of meeting shall be designated by the state central
committees of the various political parties in the call issued
therefor
by the respective state central
committees of the several
political
parties. A certified copy of such the call shall be
immediately filed with the secretary of state.
Sec. 594. The county conventions of all political parties for
the election of delegates to a state convention in the odd numbered
years
shall be held not less than 7 days before said the state
convention.
All such of the county conventions of any one a
political party shall be held on the same day throughout the state,
which day shall be designated by the state central committee of
such
the political party in its call for the state convention
as
provided
for in section 593. of this act. The place and hour of
meeting
of any such a county convention shall be designated in the
call
issued therefor by the county executive
committee of such the
political party in the county, which call shall be issued not less
than
15 days before such the county convention. The number of
delegates
to the state convention to which such the political party
in
such the county is entitled shall be chosen at such the county
convention.
In all counties having or which may hereafter have a
county that has 2 or more congressional districts or parts of
congressional
districts within the boundaries of the county, such
the congressional districts or a part of any congressional district
within
said the counties shall each be considered a county within
the provisions of this section for the holding of county
conventions provided for in this section, and shall be in lieu of
said
the county conventions. The nominee for congress of the
congressional district in the preceding primary election, the
county
chairman chairperson, and the county secretary of the
several
political parties shall constitute constitutes a committee
in
each congressional district to name the temporary chairman
chairperson of the first district convention held under this act.
Thereafter,
the district chairman chairperson
shall act as
temporary
chairman. chairperson. The said convention shall then
proceed to organize the same as county conventions and shall
proceed to the election of delegates to the state convention. The
chairman
chairperson and secretary of any such the convention
shall
certify to the state central committee the names and addresses of
the
delegates so elected, and when so certified, they
shall become
the
delegates from said the district to the state convention.
Sec. 595. At the time of issuing the call for the county
convention of any political party for the election of delegates to
a state convention, the county executive committee of each
political
party shall apportion to the various wards ( or to the
precincts,
in case if delegates to the county convention are
elected
by precincts, ) and
townships of such the county the
delegates
to the ensuing state convention to which such the county
is entitled upon the basis provided for in this act for the
apportioning
of such the delegates to the several counties. Any A
township may be joined with 1 or more other contiguous townships or
any ward of a city may be joined with 1 or more other wards of the
same
city ( or, in case if
delegates to the county convention are
elected by precincts, then any precinct may be joined with 1 or
more
precincts of the same city, ), in
the formation of a district
for the choosing of 1 delegate. The delegates to the county
convention
from each ward, precinct, township, or district
, as the
case
may be, shall choose the number of
delegates to the state
convention
that have been apportioned to such the ward, precinct,
township, or
district. The number of delegates so apportioned to
the several wards, precincts, townships, and districts shall
approximate, as nearly as may be, the number of delegates to which
said
the county may be entitled. If any ward, precinct,
township,
or
district shall be is without representation in the county
convention,
or if such the ward, precinct, township, or
district
shall
does not choose the delegate or delegates to which such
the
ward, precinct, township, or district is entitled, or if the
apportionment has not been completed or followed in the selection
of delegates, the convention shall choose the delegate or delegates
to
which such the ward, precinct, township, or
district may be
entitled.
Sec. 598. (1) The state central committee of each political
party shall, at least 60 days before the August primary, forward by
mail to the chairperson of each county executive committee of the
political party a copy of the call for the fall state convention of
the political party, showing the number of delegates to which each
county is entitled in the state convention of the political party.
The state central committee shall apportion the delegates to the
several counties in proportion to the number of votes cast for the
candidate of the party for secretary of state in each county,
respectively, at the last preceding November general election.
(2) In addition to the number of delegates allocated to each
county under subsection (1), the state central committees shall
allocate an additional number of delegates equal to the number of
incumbent legislators nominated by their party and residing in the
county.
Sec. 599. (1) In the year 1966 and every second year
thereafter,
after 1966, the delegates to the fall county convention
of each political party in each county in this state having a
population
of less than 1,500,000 , shall
convene at the call of
the county chairperson within 20 days following the November
election to select a number of persons equal to the number of
county offices and state legislative offices for which candidates
were nominated at the last 2 preceding fall primary elections, who,
together with the persons most recently nominated by the party for
each
of those offices, shall constitute constitutes the county
executive committee of their party for that county. When a new
nomination is made for an office, the nominee for which is entitled
to serve as a member of the county executive committee, the new
nominee shall replace the former nominee as a member of the county
executive committee. If a vacancy occurs in the position of
delegate-appointed member of the county executive committee, the
remaining delegate-appointed members shall fill the vacancy. Except
as otherwise provided in this section, the county executive
committee may appoint the officers it considers proper to carry out
the purposes of the committee, and may fill a vacancy in any of its
offices.
(2) Immediately following the selection of members of the
county executive committee, including the filling of vacancies, the
secretary of the county executive committee shall certify the names
and addresses of the persons chosen to the county clerk who
immediately shall notify each person chosen.
(3) Within 30 days following the convening of the fall county
convention, the county executive
committee , acting without the
officers
of the county committee who are not otherwise members of
the
executive committee, shall meet and
select a temporary
chairperson and temporary secretary. The temporary officers shall
serve only during the selection of the officers of the county
executive
committee who shall also serve as the officers of the
county
committee for the 2 years
commencing on the next January 1.
next.
The officers shall be a
chairperson, a vice-chairperson who
shall be of the opposite sex of the chairperson, a secretary, and a
treasurer. Candidates for legislative offices consisting of more
than 1 county may give a written proxy to other members of the
county executive committee.
(4)
After the officers of the county committee have taken
office,
and within 45 days after January 1 of each odd numbered
year,
the executive committee shall select a county committee for
the
party, which committee shall consist of not less than 2 members
from
each township and 2 members from each ward of each city in the
county,
or shall consist of at least 2 members from each election
precinct
in the county, as the executive committee may determine.
The
committee shall have the right to appoint officers which in its
judgment
are proper to carry out the purposes of the committee, and
shall
have power to fill a vacancy which may occur in the
membership
of the committee or in any of its offices. Between
meetings
of the county committee the executive committee shall have
all
of the powers and perform all of the duties of the county
committee,
including the filling of vacancies in nominations as
prescribed
by law. The term of service of a county committee shall
continue
for 2 years and until the selection of its successor.
(4) (5)
A person nominated as a candidate
of a political party
for county office shall be a delegate at large to the fall county
convention held in the year of the candidate's nomination and to
all county conventions held during the term of office for which the
candidate was nominated. A person nominated as a candidate of a
political party for state legislative office shall be a delegate at
large to the fall county convention held in the year of the
candidate's nomination in each county or part of a county contained
in the legislative district and to all county conventions held
during the term of office for which the candidate was nominated.
The number of delegates at large shall be in addition to the number
of delegates specified in the call for the fall county convention.
If a person is elected both a delegate at large and a delegate of
an election district, a vacancy shall exist in the election
district delegation and shall be filled as provided in section 609.
Sec. 601. In a county comprising a single representative,
senatorial, or judicial district, the county executive committee of
each
political party of each such county shall constitute
constitutes the representative, senatorial, or judicial committee
of
said the political party for such the representative,
senatorial, or
judicial district., as the case may be.
Sec. 602. In a county comprising more than 1 representative or
senatorial district, the members of the county executive committee
of
each political party residing in each such representative or
senatorial
district of such the county shall constitute constitutes
a
committee of said the political party for such the representative
or
senatorial district, as the case may be, and such the committee
shall
elect its chairman chairperson
and other officers. The
chairman
chairperson shall have the right to vote on all questions
arising
in said the committee.
Sec. 608. (1) The board of primary election inspectors shall
certify to the county clerk the names of the electors elected as
delegates, naming the political party upon whose ballot the
delegates were elected.
(2) The county clerk shall record the names of the delegates
elected in a book kept for that purpose and shall file the book
among the records of the clerk's office.
(3) No later than 7 days following the primary election, the
clerk shall notify each delegate elected of his or her election as
delegate.
(4) The county clerk shall certify the following to the
chairperson of the county executive committee of each political
party of the county:
(a) The delegates elected by the political party as delegates
to the county conventions.
(b) The names of all persons nominated as candidates of a
political party for county office and for state legislative office
who are delegates at large under section 599(5), when those names
become available to the county clerk.
(5) As used in this section, "persons nominated as candidates
of a political party for county office and for state legislative
office who are delegates at large under section 599(5)" means
incumbent county officials, incumbent state legislators, and
unsuccessful candidates for county offices and state legislative
offices who were candidates at the last prior regular or special
election held for the respective office.