PRECINCT DELEGATES TO COUNTY CONVENTION

House Bill 4700 as introduced

Sponsor:  Rep. Jim Lilly

Committee:  Elections and Ethics

Complete to 3-21-18

SUMMARY:

House Bill 4700 would amend the Michigan Election Law to shift the responsibility for certifying the election of precinct delegates from the boards of primary election inspectors to the county clerks.

Reportedly, this change is intended to streamline the election process, as the precinct delegate race is the only race certified by election inspectors. Accordingly, it requires training by the county clerks and may increase the possibility of mistakes by individuals unused to the process. The boards of county canvassers, on which county clerks serve, already certify elections for local, countywide, and district offices in their respective counties.

The bill would also make other updates to sections of the Law concerning precinct delegates:

·         It would retain the ability for voters to write in the names of candidates for precinct delegate on the ballot, but remove the possibility of pasting printed or written slips with candidates’ names on the ballot.

·         It would retain the process for settling a tie in a precinct delegate election, but strike the existing language in Section 607 and replace it with the same process as in Section 851.

·         It would retain the requirement that county clerks maintain a record of elected delegates, but remove the requirement that the record be kept in a book in the clerk’s office.

·         It would apply the same rules as apply to other write-in candidates to precinct delegate write-in candidates. This would move the deadline for a precinct delegate to file a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate from the Friday before an election to two Fridays before the election, and—as with other write-in candidates—waive that requirement if a candidate for the office dies or is disqualified.

The bill would take effect 90 days after enactment.

MCL 168.605 et al

FISCAL IMPACT:

House Bill 4700 would have no fiscal impact on the state or local units of government.  

                                                                                         Legislative Analyst:   Jenny McInerney

                                                                                                 Fiscal Analyst:   Michael Cnossen

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.