SENATE BILL No. 877

 

 

December 3, 2003, Introduced by Senator HAMMERSTROM and referred to the Committee on Government Operations.

 

 

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Michigan election law,"                                                    

                                                                                

    by amending section 641 (MCL 168.641); and to repeal acts and               

                                                                                

    parts of acts.                                                              

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 641.  (1)  An election which shall be known and                        

                                                                                

2   designated as the "general November election" shall be held in              

                                                                                

3   this state on the Tuesday succeeding the first Monday of November           

                                                                                

4   in every even numbered year.  Except as otherwise provided in               

                                                                                

5   this section and sections 642 and 642a, beginning January 1,                

                                                                                

6   2005, an election held under this act shall be held on 1 of the             

                                                                                

7   following regular election dates:                                           

                                                                                

8       (a) The February regular election date, which is the fourth                 

                                                                                

9   Tuesday in February.                                                        

                                                                                

10      (b) The May regular election date, which is the first Tuesday               

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   after the first Monday in May.                                              

                                                                                

2       (c) The August regular election date, which is the first                    

                                                                                

3   Tuesday after the first Monday in August.                                   

                                                                                

4       (d) The November regular election date, which is the first                  

                                                                                

5   Tuesday after the first Monday in November.                                 

                                                                                

6       (2) If an elective office is listed by name in section 643,                 

                                                                                

7   requiring the election for that office to be held at the general            

                                                                                

8   election, and if candidates for the office are nominated at a               

                                                                                

9   primary election, the primary election shall be held on the                 

                                                                                

10  August regular election date.                                               

                                                                                

11      (3) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection and                     

                                                                                

12  subsection (4), a special election shall be held on a regular               

                                                                                

13  election date.  A special election called by the governor under             

                                                                                

14  section 145, 178, 370, 632, 633, or 634 to fill a vacancy or                

                                                                                

15  called by the legislature to submit a proposed constitutional               

                                                                                

16  amendment as authorized in section 1 of article XII of the state            

                                                                                

17  constitution of 1963 may, but is not required to be, held on a              

                                                                                

18  regular election date.                                                      

                                                                                

19      (4) Before a school district may call a special election to                 

                                                                                

20  submit a ballot question to borrow money, increase a millage, or            

                                                                                

21  establish a bond, the school district shall submit the ballot               

                                                                                

22  question on a regular election date.  If the ballot question                

                                                                                

23  submitted at a regular election date is not successful, a school            

                                                                                

24  district may call a special election to resubmit a ballot                   

                                                                                

25  question 1 time in the same calendar year if an initiative                  

                                                                                

26  petition is filed with the county clerk.  The petition shall be             

                                                                                

27  signed by a number of qualified and registered electors of the              


                                                                                

1   district equal to not less than 10% of the electors voting in the           

                                                                                

2   last gubernatorial election in that district or 3,000 signatures,           

                                                                                

3   whichever number is lesser.  Section 488 applies to a petition to           

                                                                                

4   call a special election for a school district under this                    

                                                                                

5   section.  The petition shall be filed with the county clerk by 4            

                                                                                

6   p.m. of the tenth Tuesday before the proposed date of the special           

                                                                                

7   election.  The petition signatures shall be obtained within 60              

                                                                                

8   days before the filing of the petition.  Any signatures obtained            

                                                                                

9   more than 60 days before the filing of the petition are not                 

                                                                                

10  valid.  If the special election called by the school district is            

                                                                                

11  not scheduled to be held on a regular election date as provided             

                                                                                

12  in subsection (1), the special election shall be held on a                  

                                                                                

13  Tuesday.  A special election called by a school district under              

                                                                                

14  this subsection shall not be held within 35 days before or after            

                                                                                

15  a regular election date as provided in subsection (1).  A school            

                                                                                

16  district may only call 1 special election in each calendar year.            

                                                                                

17      (5) The secretary of state shall make a report to the house                 

                                                                                

18  and senate committees that consider election issues by December             

                                                                                

19  1, 2006.  The secretary of state shall report about the special             

                                                                                

20  elections held under this subsection all of the following:                  

                                                                                

21      (a) The number of times a special election has been held.                   

                                                                                

22      (b) Which school districts have held special elections.                     

                                                                                

23      (c) Information about the success rate of the ballot question               

                                                                                

24  submitted at the special elections.                                         

                                                                                

25      (d) Information about voter turnout, including the percentage               

                                                                                

26  and number of registered voters who voted in each special                   

                                                                                

27  election.                                                                   


                                                                                

1       (6) The secretary of state shall direct and supervise the                   

                                                                                

2   consolidation of all elections held under this act.                         

                                                                                

3       Enacting section 1.  This amendatory act takes effect                       

                                                                                

4   January 1, 2005.                                                            

                                                                                

5       Enacting section 2.  This amendatory act does not take                      

                                                                                

6   effect unless all of the following bills of the 92nd Legislature            

                                                                                

7   are enacted into law:                                                       

                                                                                

8       (a) House Bill No. 4820.                                                    

                                                                                

9       (b) House Bill No. 4822.                                                    

                                                                                

10      (c) House Bill No. 4823.                                                    

                                                                                

11      (d) House Bill No. 4824.                                                    

                                                                                

12      (e) House Bill No. 4825.                                                    

                                                                                

13      (f) House Bill No. 4826.                                                    

                                                                                

14      (g) House Bill No. 4827.                                                    

                                                                                

15      (h) House Bill No. 4828.                                                    

                                                                                

16      (i) House Bill No. 4943.