CANDIDATES: SIGNATURE REQUIREMENTS - S.B. 1283 & 1284: FLOOR ANALYSIS
Senate Bills 1283 and 1284 (as reported without amendment)
Sponsor: Senator Thaddeus G. McCotter (S.B. 1283)
Senator Ken Sikkema (S.B. 1284)
Committee: Government Operations
CONTENT
Senate Bill 1283 would amend Public Act 261 of 1966, which provides for the election of members of a county board of commissioners, and Senate Bill 1284 would amend the Revised School Code, to provide that candidates for a county board of commissioners or for a school board would have to comply with the petition signature requirements prescribed in Section 544f of the Election Law. (As added by Public Act 218 of 1999, Section 544f prescribes the number of signatures of qualified and registered electors necessary for nominating petitions for various State and local offices, based upon the population of the district involved.)
Currently, Public Act 261 requires a candidate for a county board of commissioners, in order to appear on the primary ballot, to submit a filing fee of $100, or nominating petitions signed by the number of electors equal to at least 1% but not more than 4% of the number of votes cast in the district by such party for the office of Secretary of State at the last general election. Under Senate Bill 1283, the number of signatures required would be determined under Section 544f.
Currently, under the Revised School Code, a candidate for election to an intermediate school board must have petitions signed by at least 50 school electors of the intermediate school district (ISD) in an ISD that elects its members by vote of one member of each constituent school district. In an ISD that elects its ISD board members by popular election, a candidate must have nominating petitions that contain signatures equal in number to at least 1.5% of the combined pupil membership of the constituent districts, but not more than 5,000. Further, candidates for a school board must have petitions signed by the number of school electors of the school district equal to at least 1% of the total votes received by the board member who received the greatest number of votes at the last election. Under Senate Bill 1284, the number of signatures required would be determined under Section 544f based on the population of the ISD or school district.
MCL 46.411 (S.B. 1283) - Legislative Analyst: G. Towne
380.614 et al. (S.B. 1284)
FISCAL IMPACT
The bills would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
Date Completed: 5-23-00 - Fiscal Analyst: E. Limbs
floor\sb1283 - 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.