Bill Text: MI SB0300 | 2021-2022 | 101st Legislature | Introduced


Bill Title: Elections: voting procedures; early voting; provide for. Amends secs. 720 & 735 of 1954 PA 116 (MCL 168.720 & 116.735) & adds sec. 720a.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 5-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-03-24 - Referred To Committee On Elections [SB0300 Detail]

Download: Michigan-2021-SB0300-Introduced.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE BILL NO. 300

March 24, 2021, Introduced by Senators SCHMIDT, LASATA, HORN, BARRETT and VANDERWALL and referred to the Committee on Elections.

A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled

"Michigan election law,"

by amending sections 720 and 735 (MCL 168.720 and 168.735), section 735 as amended by 2004 PA 92, and by adding section 720a.

the people of the state of michigan enact:

Sec. 720. (1) On the day of any an election, the polls shall be opened must open at 7 o'clock in the forenoon, a.m. and shall must be continuously open until 8 o'clock in the afternoon and no longer. Every p.m. Each qualified elector present and in line at the polls at the hour prescribed for the closing thereof shall time must be allowed to vote.

(2) For early voting under section 720a, the polls must be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the second Saturday before election day. The city or township clerk shall provide notice to the electors as provided in section 653a of the date, time, and places at which early voting will be held in the city or township. Before early voting begins, the city or township clerk shall post notice at the clerk's office that includes both of the following:

(a) The time that the polling places will be open on the second Saturday before election day.

(b) The location of the polling places designated by the city or township clerk to be used on the second Saturday before election day.

Sec. 720a. (1) Each city or township must provide early voting at 1 or more polling places designated by the city or township clerk on the second Saturday before election day.

(2) The secretary of state shall cooperate with each city and township conducting early voting and provide technical assistance to each city or township that requests technical assistance.

(3) Except as otherwise provided, all of the following provisions of this act apply to early voting:

(a) Election inspectors.

(b) Challenges to voters.

(c) Poll book and poll list.

(d) Notices and instructions.

(e) Security for the electronic voting system.

(f) Ballot security, ballot containers, ballot counting, and ballot preservation.

(g) Spoiled ballots.

(4) The poll book and poll list for each precinct must be maintained in accordance with section 735.

(5) Early voting ballots must be processed in the same manner as ballots cast on election day.

(6) An individual who knowingly tampers with a ballot container containing ballots voted on the second Saturday before election day is guilty of a felony.

(7) If at any time beginning on the second Saturday before election day and before the close of the polls on election day an individual discloses an election result or in any manner characterizes how any ballot was voted on the second Saturday before election day, that individual is guilty of a felony.

Sec. 735. (1) At each primary and election, election inspectors shall keep 1 poll book and 1 poll list. An election inspector shall enter in the poll book, in the order in which electors are given ballots, the name of each elector who is given a ballot and immediately after the name, on the same line, shall enter the number of the ballot given to the elector. For an absent voter ballot, when an election inspector removes the ballot from the sealed absent voter envelope, the election inspector shall enter in the poll book the name of the absent voter and the number of the ballot.

(2) For early voting under section 720a, the poll book must be divided by date and separate records must be maintained for early voting on the second Saturday before election day.

(3) (2) If an elector is issued a provisional ballot, an election inspector shall enter a proper designation in the poll book, including whether the provisional ballot was tabulated in the precinct or was secured for verification after the election.

(4) (3) At the completion of the precinct canvass, an election inspector shall record on the certificate provided in the poll book the number of each metal seal used to seal voting equipment and ballot containers. Each member of the board of election inspectors shall must sign the certificate.

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