MICHIGAN ELECTION LAW (EXCERPT)
Act 116 of 1954 ELECTION PRECINCTS

168.654 Election precincts; definition.

Sec. 654.

The words "election precinct" as used in this act shall mean a political subdivision, the area of which is embraced in its entirety within the confines of a city, ward, township or village, and for which not more than 1 polling place is provided for all qualified and registered electors residing therein. When not divided according to law into 2 or more election precincts, each organized city, ward, township and village shall be an election precinct.

History: 1954, Act 116, Eff. June 1, 1955
Popular Name: Election Code

168.654a Election precinct; composition; "clearly observable boundaries" defined.

Sec. 654a.

(1) An election precinct under this act must be composed as nearly as practicable of compact and contiguous territory and must have clearly defined and clearly observable boundaries.

(2) As used in this section, "clearly observable boundaries" includes 1 or more of the following:

(a) A named road or street.

(b) A road or highway that is part of the federal, state primary, or state secondary road system.

(d) A natural or constructed permanent physical feature that is shown on an official county, city, or township map issued by the department of transportation or a United States Geological Survey topographical map.

(e) An apartment building, a dormitory, or other permanent multiple-unit housing structure.

(f) Any line or demarcation that meets the requirements of and is recognized by the United States Census Bureau.

History: Add. 1994, Act 401, Imd. Eff. Dec. 29, 1994 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 120, Eff. Dec. 31, 2018
Popular Name: Election Code

168.655 Repealed. 2018, Act 120, Eff. Dec. 31, 2018.

Compiler's Notes: The repealed section pertained to outer boundaries of election precincts.
Popular Name: Election Code

168.656 Repealed. 2018, Act 120, Eff. Dec. 31, 2018.

Compiler's Notes: The repealed section pertained to division of precincts.
Popular Name: Election Code

168.657 Election precincts; division, rearrangement.

Sec. 657.

If a city, ward, or township is divided into 2 or more election precincts, the election commission, or other officials charged with the performance of that duty by the charter of any city may by resolution divide any precinct of the city, ward, or township into 2 or more precincts, attach a portion of any precinct to an adjoining precinct, or may rearrange the city, ward, or township into election precincts as the election commission or other officials charged with the performance of that duty by the charter of any city may consider necessary and convenient for conducting primaries or elections in the city, ward, or township in the same manner and under the same restrictions as provided in section 661.

History: 1954, Act 116, Eff. June 1, 1955 ;-- Am. 1955, Act 271, Imd. Eff. June 30, 1955 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 120, Eff. Dec. 31, 2018
Popular Name: Election Code

168.658 Election precincts; consolidation.

Sec. 658.

If a city, ward, township, or village is divided into 2 or more election precincts, pursuant to law, and it appears from an examination of the precinct registration records that there are not more than 4,999 active registered electors in the city, ward, township, or village, the election commission, or other officials charged with the performance of the duty by the charter of a city or village, by resolution, may abolish the division or divisions and after that time the city, ward, township, or village constitutes a single election precinct as if a division had not been made. A consolidation must not be made later than the 120 days before a primary or election.

History: 1954, Act 116, Eff. June 1, 1955 ;-- Am. 1955, Act 271, Imd. Eff. June 30, 1955 ;-- Am. 1969, Act 290, Imd. Eff. Aug. 11, 1969 ;-- Am. 1977, Act 236, Imd. Eff. Nov. 30, 1977 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 270, Eff. Aug. 15, 2012 ;-- Am. 2023, Act 88, Eff. Feb. 13, 2024 ;-- Am. 2023, Act 226, Imd. Eff. Nov. 22, 2023 ;-- Am. 2023, Act 267, Eff. Feb. 13, 2024
Popular Name: Election Code

168.659 Consolidation of election precincts.

Sec. 659.

(1) If a county, city, ward, township, village, metropolitan district, or school district is divided into 2 or more election precincts, the county, city, ward, township, or village election commissioners may, by resolution, consolidate the election precincts for a particular election that is not a general November election, primary election immediately before a general November election, or other statewide or federal election. In making the determination to consolidate election precincts for a particular election, the election commission shall take into consideration the number of choices the voter must make, the percentage of registered voters who voted at the last similar election in the jurisdiction, and the intensity of the interest of the electors in the jurisdiction concerning the candidates and proposals to be voted upon. Consolidated precincts shall not exceed 5,000 active registered electors.

(2) A consolidation under this section shall be made not less than 60 days before a primary, general, or special election.

(3) Unless the polling places for the election precincts to be consolidated are located in the same building, when a county, city, ward, township, or village consolidates election precincts for a particular election under subsection (1), the election commissioners or other designated election officials shall do both of the following:

(a) Provide notice to the registered electors of the affected election precincts of the consolidation of election precincts for the particular election and the location of the polling place for the election precinct or precincts for that election. Notice may be provided by mail or other method designed to provide actual notice to the registered electors.

(b) Post a written notice at each election precinct polling place stating the location of the consolidated election precinct polling place.

(4) If a county, city, ward, township, or village consolidates election precincts under this section, each affected election precinct shall be treated as a whole unit and shall not be divided during the consolidation.

History: Add. 2003, Act 302, Eff. Mar. 30, 2004 ;-- Am. 2004, Act 296, Imd. Eff. July 23, 2004 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 270, Eff. Aug. 15, 2012 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 586, Imd. Eff. Jan. 7, 2013 ;-- Am. 2014, Act 94, Imd. Eff. Apr. 3, 2014
Compiler's Notes: Former MCL 168.659, which pertained to prohibition of change in election precincts within 60 days of primary or election, was repealed by Act 271 of 1955, Imd. Eff. June 30, 1955, and by Act 283 of 1955, Imd. Eff. July 19, 1955.
Popular Name: Election Code

168.660 Subdivision, alteration, or rearrangement of precincts; record; numbers of precincts; description of boundaries; notice; abolition of division into precincts.

Sec. 660.

When a city, ward, township, or village is subdivided into election precincts, or the election precincts are altered or rearranged, the city, township, or village election commission, or other officials charged with the performance of the duty by the charter of the city or village, shall enter that action of record in its proceedings, specify the numbers of the precincts altered or rearranged in numerical order, and describe the boundaries of each precinct. Notice of the subdivision, alteration, or rearrangement shall be given immediately by the city, township, or village clerk. The notification shall be effected by mailing to each qualified and registered elector affected by the subdivision, alteration, or rearrangement a notice by first class letter postage advising the location of his new polling place and, if deemed advisable by the city, township, or village election commission, by posting a public notice of the change in 2 places in each precinct affected thereby, advising the boundaries of each of the precincts. A notice shall also be immediately transmitted to the county clerk, and the county clerk shall transmit to the secretary of state, not later than 200 days prior to the primary next preceding the general November election, the number of election precincts in his county. The city, township, or village clerk shall give like notice of the abolition of the division of a city, ward, township, or village into election precincts, and shall, in the notice of abolition, state that the city, ward, township, or village is restored as a single election precinct and indicate the location of the polling place therein. Notice of the abolition shall be immediately transmitted to the county clerk, and by him to the secretary of state, as in the case of the subdivision or alteration of boundaries as herein provided.

History: 1954, Act 116, Eff. June 1, 1955 ;-- Am. 1955, Act 271, Imd. Eff. June 30, 1955 ;-- Am. 1975, Act 325, Imd. Eff. Jan. 9, 1976
Popular Name: Election Code

168.661 Division or rearrangement of precincts; notices; expenses; time limitations on division of precincts; division of precincts following federal census; determining number of registered electors.

Sec. 661.

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2), city and township election commissions shall divide precincts according to law, not later than 210 days before the primary next preceding the general November election, and shall immediately notify the county clerk of the number of registered electors in each precinct in the city or township. The county clerk shall notify the secretary of state not later than 200 days before the primary of a precinct in the clerk's county that has not been divided according to law, and the secretary of state shall proceed to make divisions as are necessary at the expense of the city or township involved, not later than 180 days before the primary next preceding the general November election. A division of precincts must be made effective not later than 180 days before the primary election next preceding the general November election.

(2) In the second year following each federal decennial census, precincts must be divided under this subsection. City and township election commissions shall divide precincts not later than 120 days before the primary election next preceding the general November election in order that a precinct, as far as is practical, is not split between districts and does not exceed 4,999 registered electors, and shall immediately notify the county clerk of the number of registered electors in each precinct in each city or township. The county clerk shall notify the secretary of state not later than 110 days before the primary of any precincts in the county that have not been divided, and the secretary of state shall proceed to make the divisions as are necessary, at the expense of the city or township involved, not later than 90 days before the primary election next preceding the general November election. The division of precincts must be made effective not later than 90 days before the primary election. The secretary of state may authorize, on written request by a city or township election commission, a later division of a precinct that contains portions of more than 1 elective district. All precinct divisions must be completed not later than 90 days before the primary election next preceding the general November election. In determining the number of registered voters for a precinct under this subsection, a city or township election commission or the secretary of state, as applicable, must use only the active registered electors for that city or township.

History: 1954, Act 116, Eff. June 1, 1955 ;-- Am. 1955, Act 271, Imd. Eff. June 30, 1955 ;-- Am. 1964, Act 212, Imd. Eff. May 22, 1964 ;-- Am. 1975, Act 325, Imd. Eff. Jan. 9, 1976 ;-- Am. 1977, Act 236, Imd. Eff. Nov. 30, 1977 ;-- Am. 1982, Act 2, Imd. Eff. Jan. 27, 1982 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 270, Eff. Aug. 15, 2012 ;-- Am. 2023, Act 88, Eff. Feb. 13, 2024 ;-- Am. 2023, Act 227, Imd. Eff. Nov. 22, 2023 ;-- Am. 2023, Act 267, Eff. Feb. 13, 2024
Popular Name: Election Code

Rendered 8/15/2025 7:32 AM
Michigan Compiled Laws Complete Through PA 5 of 2025
Courtesy of legislature.mi.gov