PETITION SIGNATURES/DEADLINES - H.B. 5060 (H-2): FLOOR ANALYSIS
House Bill 5060 (Substitute H-2 as reported with amendments)
Sponsor: Representative Michael L. Green
House Committee: Constitutional Law and Ethics
Senate Committee: Government Operations
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Michigan Election Law to do the following:
-- Delete the number of nominating petition signatures currently required for specific offices, and establish a range of signatures based on the population of the district involved, for all nominating petitions.
-- Provide for the county-wide circulation of petitions.
-- Make various changes concerning judicial nominating petitions.
Currently, nominating petitions must contain signatures of a number of qualified and registered electors of a jurisdiction (the State, a district, a county, or a municipality) equal to a percentage of the number of votes cast in that jurisdiction for Secretary of State at the last general November election in which a Secretary of State was elected. (If the candidate is nominated by a political party, the percentage applies to the number of votes cast by that party.) The bill would delete these requirements.
Under the bill, the number of signatures of qualified and registered electors necessary for nominating petitions under the Election Law would be based upon the population of the district involved according to the most recent Federal census, as described in the bill.
The Election Law allows county-wide circulation of nominating petitions for the office of Governor, State Representative, State Senator, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, or Court of Appeals judge, and petitions for a constitutional amendment, initiation of legislation, or referendum of legislation. The bill, instead, would allow county-wide circulation of nominating petitions for the offices under the Law, the petitions listed above, and local proposals.
MCL 168.53 et al. - Legislative Analyst: G. Towne
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
Date Completed: 12-7-99 - Fiscal Analyst: E. LimbsFloor\hb5060 - Bill Analysis @ http://www.state.mi.us/sfa
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.