SCHOOL ELECTIONS/ABSENTEE BALLOTS - H.B. 4448 (S-3): FLOOR ANALYSIS

House Bill 4448 (Substitute S-3 as reported)

Sponsor: Representative Agnes Dobronski

House Committee: Local Government

Senate Committee: Government Operations

CONTENT

The bill would amend the Michigan Election Law to provide for the conduct of school elections by local units of government. The bill includes provisions regarding the canvassing of school elections by local officials, filling vacancies on a school board, and submitting election questions to a district's voters. The bill would limit the dates upon which school elections could be held, and prescribe the payments that school districts would have to make to local units for conducting a school election. The bill is tie-barred to Senate Bill 202, which would repeal parts of the Revised School Code that provide for the administration and operation of elections by school districts; and specifies that a school district's annual election or a special election would be administered and conducted as provided in the Michigan Election Law.

Further, the House bill would allow a city, village, or township, by resolution, to implement absent voting with no reason required. Currently, under the Election Law, to qualify to vote by absentee ballot, a voter must be 60 years old or older, or meet one of the following requirements: the voter is absent, or expects to be absent, from his or her township or city for the entire time the polls are open on election day; the voter cannot attend the polls without assistance because of a physical disability; the voter is confined to jail awaiting arraignment or trial; the voter cannot attend the polls because of the tenets of his or her religion; or the voter is an election inspector in another precinct. Under the bill, a local unit that adopted a resolution to implement absentee ballots with no reason required would promptly have to file a copy of the resolution with the Secretary of State, and provide adequate notice to the residents of the local unit. Absent voting with no reason required would not be allowed until January 1, 1999, or until the Secretary of State certified that the qualified voter file had been successfully implemented and used in a statewide general November election, whichever occurred later.

MCL 168.758 & 168.759 - Legislative Analyst: G. Towne

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would have no fiscal impact on State government. The bill could result in savings to school districts by requiring school board elections to take place at November general elections and encouraging the coordination of special elections with other local units of government. Provisions permitting expanded use of absentee ballots could cause a minimal increase in costs to local units of government. The actual cost is indeterminate, however, because the increase would depend on the number of voters who chose to use absentee ballots.

Date Completed: 6-2-98 - Fiscal Analyst: E. Limbs

- E. Prattfloor\hb4448 - Analysis available @ http://www.michiganlegislature.org

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.