SENATE BILL NO. 385

June 13, 2023, Introduced by Senators GEISS and MOSS 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 with a the county clerk or the city or township clerk in that the county where the individual wishes to serve as a precinct election inspector.

(2) The application 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. A county, city, or township clerk may allow an applicant for precinct election inspector to file an application through an online application portal or by other electronic means. The clerk shall maintain a file of applications filed under this section and make the applications available for public inspection at the clerk's office during normal business hours.

(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 the individual's 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 the individual 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 that individual 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 of election inspectors 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 of election inspectors 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 individual shall provide to the clerk, along with the application filed under subsections (1) and (2), a written document from his or her the individual's 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.