HOUSE BILL No. 4592


     April 17, 2001, Introduced by Reps. Ruth Johnson, Toy, Julian, Raczkowski, Pappageorge, Voorhees, Shulman, Rocca,
Gosselin and Bishop and referred to the Committee on Redistricting and Elections.


        A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled

   "Michigan election law,"

   by amending sections 358a, 635, 649, and 707 (MCL 168.358a,

   168.635, 168.649, and 168.707), section 358a as amended by 1990

   PA 235 and section 707 as amended by 1994 PA 152; and to repeal

   acts and parts of acts.

               THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

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           Sec. 358a.  The  EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SECTIONS 831 TO 836,

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      A SPECIAL ELECTION CALLED BY THE township board of a township

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       may call a special election to be held in the township  for the

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       purpose of submitting any  SUBMISSION OF A BALLOT QUESTION,

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      PUBLIC QUESTION, OR OTHER proposition  or propositions  to the

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      electors of the township SHALL BE HELD ON THE SAME DATE AS A

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      REGULARLY SCHEDULED PRIMARY ELECTION OR GENERAL ELECTION.  A

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      special election HELD UNDER SECTIONS 831 TO 836 shall not be held


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      within 30 days  before or  after a  regular township or state
   

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      primary ELECTION or general election.  Notice of the special

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      election shall be given in the same manner now required of

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       regular elections  A REGULARLY SCHEDULED ELECTION held under

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      this act.

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           Sec. 635.  It shall be lawful to call  EXCEPT AS PROVIDED

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      IN SECTIONS 831 TO 836, a special election for the submission of

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       any  A BALLOT QUESTION, PUBLIC QUESTION, OR OTHER proposition

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       on any regular or special primary day  SHALL BE HELD ON THE SAME

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      DATE AS A REGULARLY SCHEDULED PRIMARY ELECTION OR GENERAL

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      ELECTION.

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           Sec. 649.  (1)  Whenever  IF a proposed constitutional

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      amendment or other special question is to be submitted to the

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      electors of the state for popular vote, the secretary of state

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      shall, not less than 49 days before THE election, certify the

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       same  PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT OR OTHER SPECIAL

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      QUESTION to the clerk of each county in the state  and shall at

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      the same time prescribe  IN the form in which  such  THE
   PROPOSED

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      CONSTITUTIONAL amendment or other special question shall be

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      submitted.  Any  EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SECTIONS 831 TO 836, A

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      PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT OR OTHER SPECIAL QUESTION SHALL

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      BE PLACED ON THE BALLOT AT THE NEXT GENERAL ELECTION.

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           (2) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SECTIONS 831 TO 836, A city ordi-

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      nance  which has been or is hereafter  adopted by the  common

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      council in  LEGISLATIVE BODY OF a city WITH A POPULATION of over

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      500,000 and  which  THAT is subject to referendum shall be

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      submitted to the people of that city at the next general



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      election.  unless submitted to a special election by action of

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      the common council. 

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           Sec. 707.  (1) If a proposed constitutional amendment or

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      other proposition is to be submitted to the electors of this

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      state for popular vote, the secretary of state, not less than 49

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      days before the date of the election at which the proposed con-

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      stitutional amendment or other proposition is to be submitted,

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      shall certify to the various county clerks the form of ballots to

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      be prepared in connection with the proposal.  The ballot shall

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      contain a statement of the proposed constitutional amendment or

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      other proposition in 100 words or less, exclusive of caption, as

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      provided in section 2 of article XII of the state constitution of

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      1963.  The ballot shall be a single ballot separate and distinct

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      from the ballots containing the names of candidates or nominees

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      for public office.  The ballot shall contain a suitable caption,

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      under which shall be printed the words "yes ( )" and "no ( )" in

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      separate lines.  Each board of county election commissioners

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      shall print the ballots for use in their respective counties.

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           (2) A city ordinance that  has been  WAS or is hereafter

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      adopted by the legislative body of a city with a population of

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      more than 500,000 and that is subject to referendum shall be sub-

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      mitted to the people of that city at the next REGULARLY SCHEDULED

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      PRIMARY ELECTION OR general election.  unless submitted to a spe-

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      cial election by action of the legislative body. 

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           Enacting section 1.  Section 640 of the Michigan election

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      law, 1954 PA 116, MCL 168.640, is repealed.





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