HOUSE BILL No. 5712

 

 

March 13, 2018, Introduced by Reps. Howrylak, Pagan, Howell and Miller and referred to the Committee on Elections and Ethics.

 

     A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled

 

"Michigan election law,"

 

by amending sections 963, 967, 969, 970a, 970c, 970e, 970g, 971a,

 

972, 973a, and 977 (MCL 168.963, 168.967, 168.969, 168.970a,

 

168.970c, 168.970e, 168.970g, 168.971a, 168.972, 168.973a, and

 

168.977), section 963 as amended by 2015 PA 99, sections 967, 969,

 

and 972 as amended and sections 970a, 970c, 970g, 971a, 973a, and

 

977 as added by 2012 PA 417, and section 970e as amended by 2015 PA

 

102; and to repeal acts and parts of acts.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 963. (1) Within 35 days after the filing of the recall

 

petition, the filing official with whom the recall petition is

 


filed shall make an official declaration of the sufficiency or

 

insufficiency of the recall petition. If the recall petition is

 

determined to be insufficient, the filing official shall notify the

 

person or organization sponsoring the recall of the insufficiency

 

of the recall petition. It is not necessary to give notification

 

unless the person or organization sponsoring the recall files with

 

the filing official a written notice of sponsorship and a mailing

 

address.

 

     (2) If a recall petition is filed under section 960,

 

immediately upon determining that the recall petition is

 

sufficient, but not later than 35 days after the date of filing of

 

the recall petition, the county clerk with whom the recall petition

 

is filed shall call the recall election and proceed under sections

 

971c 972 to 975. The recall election shall must be held not less

 

than 95 days after the date the recall petition is filed and shall

 

must be held on the next May regular election date or the next

 

November regular election date, whichever occurs first.

 

     (3) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (4), if a

 

recall petition is filed under section 959, the filing official

 

with whom the recall petition is filed shall call the recall

 

primary election and proceed under sections 970b 970c to 970g. The

 

recall primary election shall must be held on the next regular

 

election date that is not less than 95 days after the date the

 

recall petition is filed.

 

     (4) If a recall petition is filed under section 959 demanding

 

the recall of the governor, the filing official with whom the

 

recall petition is filed shall call a special recall election and


proceed under sections 975c to 975g. The special recall election

 

shall must be held not less than 95 days after the date the recall

 

petition is filed and shall must be held on the next May regular

 

election date or the next August regular election date, whichever

 

occurs first.

 

     Sec. 967. The expenses of a special recall election , a recall

 

primary election, a recall general election, or a recall election

 

shall be are payable in the same manner as are the costs of a

 

regular election to fill the office in question.

 

     Sec. 969. After filing a recall petition and after a recall

 

election , a recall general election, or special recall election

 

under this chapter, no further recall petition shall be filed

 

against the same incumbent of that office during the term for which

 

he or she is elected.

 

     Sec. 970a. Sections 970b 970c to 970g apply to the recall

 

primary election and recall general election for an office listed

 

in section 959.

 

     Sec. 970c. (1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2),

 

for the recall primary election, a A political party candidate may

 

qualify for the recall primary election by filing a nominating

 

petition or paying a $100.00 nonrefundable fee with the secretary

 

of state not later than 4 p.m. on the tenth day after the filing

 

official with whom the recall petition is filed calls the recall

 

primary election. The nominating petition shall must be filed with

 

the secretary of state and signed by 10% of the number of

 

signatures required under section 544f.

 

     (2) As provided in section 970b, if the incumbent is the


nominee of his or her political party at the recall general

 

election, an individual in the incumbent's political party is not

 

eligible as a candidate for the recall primary election and that

 

political party shall not conduct a recall primary election.

 

     Sec. 970e. Subject to section 970b, the candidate of each

 

political party receiving the greatest number of votes cast for

 

candidates at the recall primary election as set forth in the

 

report of the board of state canvassers, based on the returns from

 

the various election precincts, shall be declared the nominee of

 

that political party at the recall general election to be held on

 

the next May regular election date or the next August regular

 

election date, whichever occurs first. In addition, except as

 

otherwise provided in this section, a A candidate without a

 

political party affiliation may qualify for the recall general

 

election by filing a qualifying petition with the officer with whom

 

the recall petitions were filed that contains 10% of the number of

 

signatures required under section 544f within 10 days after the

 

recall general election is scheduled. An individual who was an

 

unsuccessful candidate in the recall primary election may not

 

subsequently file a qualifying petition as a candidate without a

 

political party affiliation for the recall general election.

 

     Sec. 970g. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes

 

in the recall general election is elected for the remainder of the

 

term.

 

     Sec. 971a. Sections 971c 972 to 975 apply to the recall

 

election for an office listed in section 960.

 

     Sec. 972. (1) Except as provided in subsection (2), and


section 971c, if the recall election involves a nonpartisan office,

 

a candidate for that nonpartisan office shall be nominated and

 

voted for in the recall election by filing a nominating petition or

 

paying a $100.00 nonrefundable fee not later than 4 p.m. on the

 

tenth day after the filing official with whom the recall petition

 

is filed calls the recall election. The nominating petition shall

 

must be filed with the clerk of the electoral district and signed

 

by 10% of the number of qualified and registered electors of the

 

electoral district as required under section 544f. Instead of

 

filing a nominating petition, an individual may become a candidate

 

by paying a $100.00 nonrefundable fee with the clerk of the

 

electoral district.

 

     (2) This subsection applies to a recall election involving a

 

school board member, if the recall election is scheduled to be held

 

on the same date as a general election. A nominating petition filed

 

by a candidate shall must be signed by a number of qualified and

 

registered electors of the school district as determined under

 

section 303. The nominating petition shall must be filed with the

 

school district election coordinator, as designated by section 301,

 

not later than 4 p.m. on the tenth day after the filing official

 

with whom the recall petition is filed calls the recall election.

 

Instead of filing a nominating petition, an individual may become a

 

candidate by paying a $100.00 nonrefundable fee to the school

 

district election coordinator.

 

     Sec. 973a. (1) Subject to subsection (2), if If the recall

 

election involves a partisan office, a political party candidate

 

shall be nominated for that partisan office as follows:


     (a) If the office is in the office of county commissioner or

 

in a district office within an electoral district of 1 county, the

 

county executive committee of the political party shall nominate a

 

candidate for that office.

 

     (b) If the office is in a district office within an electoral

 

district in less than 1 county and 3 or more members of the county

 

executive committee of a political party reside in the electoral

 

district, the members of the county executive committee of the

 

political party residing in the electoral district shall nominate a

 

candidate for that office. If the office is in a district office

 

within an electoral district in less than 1 county and less than 3

 

members of the county executive committee of a political party

 

reside in the electoral district, the county executive committee of

 

the political party shall nominate a candidate for that office.

 

     (c) If the office is in a district office having an electoral

 

district in more than 1 county, the members of the several county

 

executive committees of the political party residing in those parts

 

of the counties that are in the district shall nominate a candidate

 

for that office.

 

     (d) If the office is in a ward or township office and 3 or

 

more members of the county executive committee of a political party

 

reside in the ward or township, the members of the county executive

 

committee of the political party residing in that ward or township

 

shall nominate a candidate for that office. If the office is in a

 

ward or township office and less than 3 members of the county

 

executive committee of a political party reside in the ward or

 

township, the county executive committee of the political party


shall nominate a candidate for that office.

 

     (2) If the incumbent candidate declines to be a candidate at

 

the recall election as provided in section 971c, the political

 

party of that incumbent candidate shall nominate a candidate using

 

the nominating procedure as provided in subsection (1).

 

     (2) (3) Each nomination by a committee under subsection (1)

 

shall must be certified to the officer with whom the recall

 

petitions were filed within 10 days after the calling of the recall

 

election.

 

     (3) (4) A candidate without a political party affiliation may

 

qualify for a partisan office by filing a qualifying petition with

 

the officer with whom the recall petitions were filed that contains

 

10% of the number of signatures required under section 544f within

 

10 days after the calling of the recall election.

 

     Sec. 977. (1) An officer who is recalled under this chapter

 

shall not be appointed to fill a vacancy in an elective office in

 

the electoral district or governmental unit from which the recall

 

was made during the term of office from which the officer was

 

recalled.

 

     (2) An officer who resigns subsequent to the filing of a

 

recall petition shall not be appointed to fill a vacancy in

 

elective office in that electoral district or governmental unit

 

during the term of the office from which the officer resigned.

 

     (3) If an officer resigns subsequent to the filing of

 

petitions to recall that officer from office, it is not necessary

 

for the office with which the recall petitions have been filed to

 

proceed under sections 961 and 963.


     (4) If an officer whose recall is sought resigns after the

 

calling of a recall primary election, recall general election,

 

recall election , or special recall election, the election shall

 

not be held.

 

     Enacting section 1. Sections 970b and 971c of the Michigan

 

election law, 1954 PA 116, MCL 168.970b and 168.971c, are repealed.

 

     Enacting section 2. This amendatory act takes effect 90 days

 

after the date it is enacted into law.