HOUSE BILL NO. 4876

May 18, 2021, Introduced by Reps. Alexander, Rendon, Meerman and Griffin and referred to the Committee on Elections and Ethics.

A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled

"Michigan election law,"

by amending section 677 (MCL 168.677), as amended by 2018 PA 120.

the people of the state of michigan enact:

Sec. 677. (1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (4), a precinct election inspector must be a qualified and registered elector of this state, must have a good reputation, and must have sufficient education and clerical ability to perform the duties of the office. A person An individual must not be appointed to a board of election inspectors unless the person individual has filed an application both of the following with a city or township clerk in that county where the individual wishes to serve as election inspector:

(a) An application as described in subsection (2).

(b) A signed affidavit indicating his or her political party affiliation that must be from a political party recognized by the secretary of state.

(2) The application required under subsection (1) must be in his or her own handwriting and must contain the applicant's name, home address, ward and precinct registration if any, date of birth, political party affiliation, education, employment, and other experience qualifications. The application must provide a certification that the applicant is not a member or a known active advocate, as that term is defined in section 674, of a political party other than the one political party entered on the application. The form of the application under this section must be approved by the state director of elections. The clerk shall maintain a file of applications and affidavits filed under this section and make the applications and affidavits available for public inspection at the clerk's office during normal business hours. In addition, the clerk shall make the affidavit for each precinct election inspector appointed to a polling place or absent voter counting board available for public inspection at that polling place or absent voter counting board.

(3) A person An individual must not be knowingly appointed or permitted to act as a precinct election inspector if the person individual or any member of his or her immediate family is a candidate for nomination or election to any office at the election or who has been convicted of a felony or election crime. A person An individual must not be permitted to act as an a precinct election inspector if he or she has failed to attend a school of instruction or failed to take an examination as provided in section 683. This section does not prohibit the candidate for or delegate to a political party convention from acting as an a precinct election inspector in a precinct other than the precinct in which he or she resides. An election must not be invalidated merely because of the violation of the provisions of this section.

(4) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection and subject to subsection (5), a person an individual who is 16 or 17 years of age may be appointed to a board of election inspectors. Before a person an individual may be appointed under this subsection, the first 3 members of the board required to be appointed under section 672 must meet the requirements of subsections (1) to (3). A person An individual who is appointed under this subsection must meet the requirements of subsections (1) to (3) other than being a qualified and registered elector of this state. A person An individual who is appointed under this subsection is not eligible to be designated as chairperson of the board under section 674.

(5) If a person an individual seeking appointment to a board of election inspectors under subsection (4) is attending a K-12 school and if an election falls on a school day, the person shall individual must provide to the clerk, along with the application and affidavit filed under subsections (1) and (2), a written document from his or her school specifically acknowledging that person's individual's application for appointment to the board of election inspectors and specifically excusing that person individual from school on the date of service, if the appointment is made.