Bill Text: MI HB4131 | 2015-2016 | 98th Legislature | Introduced

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Bill Title: Elections; absent voters; absent voter ballot; issue upon voter's request without requiring justification. Amends secs. 758, 759 & 759b of 1954 PA 116 (MCL 168.758 et seq.).

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 17-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-02-04 - Printed Bill Filed 02/04/2015 [HB4131 Detail]

Download: Michigan-2015-HB4131-Introduced.html

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HOUSE BILL No. 4131

 

February 3, 2015, Introduced by Reps. Irwin, Moss, Dillon, Sarah Roberts, Byrd, Dianda, Brinks, Geiss, Liberati, Wittenberg, Schor, Derek Miller, Guerra, Garrett, Plawecki, Chang and Pagan.

 

      A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled

 

"Michigan election law,"

 

by amending sections 758, 759, and 759b (MCL 168.758, 168.759,

 

and 168.759b), section 758 as amended by 1996 PA 207 and section

 

759 as amended by 2012 PA 523.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

 1        Sec. 758. (1) For the purposes of As used in this act,

 

 2  "absent voter" means a qualified and registered elector who meets

 

 3  1 or more of the following requirements:

 

 4        (a) On account of physical disability, cannot without

 

 5  another's assistance attend votes without attending the polls on

 

 6  the day of an election.

 

 7        (b) On account of the tenets of his or her religion, cannot

 

 8  attend the polls on the day of election.

 

 9        (c) Cannot attend the polls on the day of an election in the

 

 1  precinct in which he or she resides because of being an election

 

 2  precinct inspector in another precinct.

 

 3        (d) Is 60 years of age or older.

 

 4        (e) Is absent or expects to be absent from the township or

 

 5  city in which he or she resides during the entire period the

 

 6  polls are open for voting on the day of an election.

 

 7        (f) Cannot attend the polls on election day because of being

 

 8  confined in jail awaiting arraignment or trial.

 

 9        (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to Absent voter does not

 

10  include a person who has moved outside of this state, regardless

 

11  of length of his or her residence outside of this state, and who

 

12  no longer maintains an actual residence in this state. The

 

13  storage of personal effects or household goods, the ownership of

 

14  property that is rented or leased to others, or occasional brief

 

15  visits to a former domicile in this state while residing outside

 

16  of this state for most of the year does do not constitute a

 

17  residence for voting purposes in this state, except for each of

 

18  the following:

 

19        (a) A person described in section 1 of article II of the

 

20  state constitution of 1963 and statutes enacted under that

 

21  section.

 

22        (b) A person described in section 759a.

 

23        Sec. 759. (1) At any time during the 75 days before a

 

24  primary or special primary, but not later than 2 p.m. of the

 

25  Saturday immediately before the primary or special primary, an

 

26  elector who qualifies wants to vote as an absent voter , as

 

27  defined in section 758, may apply for an absent voter ballot. The

 

 1  elector shall apply in person or by mail with the clerk of the

 

 2  township, city, or village in which the elector is registered. An

 

 3  application received before a primary or special primary may be

 

 4  for either that primary only, or for that primary and the

 

 5  election that follows.

 

 6        (2) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (1), at

 

 7  anytime any time during the 75 days before an election, but not

 

 8  later than 2 p.m. of the Saturday before the election, an elector

 

 9  who qualifies wants to vote as an absent voter , as defined in

 

10  section 758, may apply for an absent voter ballot. The elector

 

11  shall apply in person or by mail with the clerk of the township,

 

12  city, or village in which the voter is registered.

 

13        (3) An application for an absent voter ballot under this

 

14  section may be made in any of the following ways:

 

15        (a) By a written request signed by the voter stating the

 

16  statutory grounds for making the application.elector.

 

17        (b) On an absent voter ballot application form provided for

 

18  that purpose by the clerk of the city, township, or village.

 

19        (c) On a federal postcard application.

 

20        (4) An applicant for an absent voter ballot shall sign the

 

21  application. A clerk or assistant clerk shall not deliver an

 

22  absent voter ballot to an applicant who does not sign the

 

23  application. A person shall not be in possession of a signed

 

24  absent voter ballot application except for the applicant; a

 

25  member of the applicant's immediate family; a person residing in

 

26  the applicant's household; a person whose job normally includes

 

27  the handling of mail, but only during the course of his or her

 

 1  employment; a registered elector requested by the applicant to

 

 2  return the application; or a clerk, assistant of the clerk, or

 

 3  other authorized election official. A registered elector who is

 

 4  requested by the applicant to return his or her absent voter

 

 5  ballot application shall sign the certificate on the absent voter

 

 6  ballot application.

 

 7        (5) The clerk of a city, township, or village shall have

 

 8  absent voter ballot application forms available in the clerk's

 

 9  office at all times and shall furnish an absent voter ballot

 

10  application form to anyone upon a verbal or written request. The

 

11  absent voter ballot application shall be in substantially the

 

12  following form:

 

13        "Application for absent voter ballot for:

 

14        [  ] The primary or special primary election to be held on

 

15  ___________________ (Date).

 

16        [  ] The election to be held on _______ (Date).

 

17        (Check applicable election or elections)

 

18        I, .................................. , a United States

 

19  citizen and a qualified and registered elector of the

 

20  ............ precinct of the township of ............ or village

 

21  of ............ or of the ............ ward of the city of

 

22  .................................. , in the county of

 

23  .................................. and state of Michigan, apply

 

24  for an official ballot, or ballots, to be voted by me at the

 

25  election or elections as requested in this application.

 

26        The statutory grounds on which I base my request are:

 

27        [  ] I expect to be absent from the community in which I am

 

 1  registered for the entire time the polls are open on election

 

 2  day.

 

 3        [  ] I am physically unable to attend the polls without the

 

 4  assistance of another.

 

 5        [  ] I cannot attend the polls because of the tenets of my

 

 6  religion.

 

 7        [  ] I have been appointed an election precinct inspector in

 

 8  a precinct other than the precinct where I reside.

 

 9        [  ] I am 60 years of age or older.

 

10        [  ] I cannot attend the polls because I am confined to jail

 

11  awaiting arraignment or trial.

 

12        (Check applicable reason)

 

 

13      Send absent voter ballot to me at:

14      ...........................................

15                 (Street No. or R.R.)

16      ...........................................

17      (Post Office)           (State)  (Zip Code)

18       My registered address .......................................

19                                     (Street No. or R.R.)

20                             .......................................

21                            (Post Office)       (State)   (Zip Code)

22      Date.........................................................

23      I certify that I am a United States citizen and that

24      the statements in this absent voter ballot application

25      are true.

26                            .......................................

27                                          (Signature)

28                               WARNING

 

 

 1        You must be a United States citizen to vote. If you are not

 

 2  a United States citizen, you will not be issued an absent voter

 

 3  ballot.

 

 4        A person making a false statement in this absent voter

 

 5  ballot application is guilty of a misdemeanor. It is a violation

 

 6  of Michigan election law for a person other than those listed in

 

 7  the instructions to return, offer to return, agree to return, or

 

 8  solicit to return your absent voter ballot application to the

 

 9  clerk. An assistant authorized by the clerk who receives absent

 

10  voter ballot applications at a location other than the clerk's

 

11  office must have credentials signed by the clerk. Ask to see his

 

12  or her credentials before entrusting your application with a

 

13  person claiming to have the clerk's authorization to return your

 

14  application.

 

 

15                Certificate of Authorized Registered

16                   Elector Returning Absent Voter

17                        Ballot Application

 

 

18        I certify that my name is .................... , my address

 

19  is .................... , and my date of birth is ............ ;

 

20  that I am delivering the absent voter ballot application of

 

21  .................... at his or her request; that I did not

 

22  solicit or request to return the application; that I have not

 

23  made any markings on the application; that I have not altered the

 

24  application in any way; that I have not influenced the applicant;

 

25  and that I am aware that a false statement in this certificate is

 

26  a violation of Michigan election law.

 

 

1     _____________             __________________________________

2         (Date)                          (Signature)"

 

 

 3        (6) The following instructions for an applicant for an

 

 4  absent voter ballot shall be included with each application

 

 5  furnished an applicant:

 

 

6         INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICANTS FOR ABSENT VOTER BALLOTS

 

 

 7        Step 1. After completely filling out the application, sign

 

 8  and date the application in the place designated. Your signature

 

 9  must appear on the application or you will not receive an absent

 

10  voter ballot.

 

11        Step 2. Deliver the application by 1 of the following

 

12  methods:

 

13        (a) Place the application in an envelope addressed to the

 

14  appropriate clerk and place the necessary postage upon the return

 

15  envelope and deposit it in the United States mail or with another

 

16  public postal service, express mail service, parcel post service,

 

17  or common carrier.

 

18        (b) Deliver the application personally to the clerk's

 

19  office, to the clerk, or to an authorized assistant of the clerk.

 

20        (c) In either (a) or (b), a member of the immediate family

 

21  of the voter including a father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-

 

22  in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandparent,

 

23  or grandchild or a person residing in the voter's household may

 

24  mail or deliver the application to the clerk for the applicant.

 

 1        (d) If an applicant cannot return the application in any of

 

 2  the above methods, the applicant may select any registered

 

 3  elector to return the application. The person returning the

 

 4  application must sign and return the certificate at the bottom of

 

 5  the application.

 

 6        (7) A person who prints and distributes absent voter ballot

 

 7  applications shall print on the application the warning,

 

 8  certificate of authorized registered elector returning absent

 

 9  voter ballot application, and instructions required by this

 

10  section.

 

11        (8) A person who makes a false statement in an absent voter

 

12  ballot application is guilty of a misdemeanor. A person who

 

13  forges a signature on an absent voter ballot application is

 

14  guilty of a felony. A person who is not authorized in this act

 

15  and who both distributes absent voter ballot applications to

 

16  absent voters and returns those absent voter ballot applications

 

17  to a clerk or assistant of the clerk is guilty of a misdemeanor.

 

18        Sec. 759b. (1) Any A registered elector may apply for an

 

19  absent voter ballots ballot at any time prior to before 4 p.m. on

 

20  election day if he shall have become physically disabled or shall

 

21  be absent from the city or township because of sickness or death

 

22  in the family which an event has occurred at a time which has

 

23  that made it impossible to apply for an absent voter ballots

 

24  ballot by the statutory deadline. The application shall be called

 

25  an emergency absent voter ballot application.

 

26        (2) Emergency absent voter ballot applications may be made

 

27  by letter or on a form prescribed by the secretary of state and

 

 1  provided by the clerk. The application shall set forth that the

 

 2  voter is qualified to vote in the election , stating the

 

 3  statutory reason for applying for an emergency absent voter

 

 4  ballot and that the reason for applying after the statutory

 

 5  deadline an event occurred at such a time to make it impossible

 

 6  to file an application for an absent voter ballots ballot by the

 

 7  statutory deadline.

 

 8        (3) Any A person intentionally making a false statement in

 

 9  such an emergency absent voter ballot application is guilty of a

 

10  felony. Any A person aiding or abetting any another person to

 

11  make a false statement on such in an emergency absent voter

 

12  ballot application is guilty of a felony.

 

13        (4) Upon receipt by the clerk of a valid application for an

 

14  emergency absent voter ballot, the clerk may deliver the ballots

 

15  absent voter ballot to the applicant in person, through a deputy

 

16  or an election assistant, or he may deliver them at his or her

 

17  office to a person named by the applicant in the emergency absent

 

18  voter ballot application. The absent voter may return the ballots

 

19  absent voter ballot to the clerk in the sealed envelope provided

 

20  therefor in any manner. he sees fit. To However, to be valid,

 

21  ballots must be returned the absent voter shall return the absent

 

22  voter ballot to the clerk in the sealed envelope provided for

 

23  that reason and in time to be delivered to the polls prior to

 

24  before 8 p.m. on election day.