STATE BOARD OF CANVASSERS:  SUFFICIENCY OF BALLOT QUESTION PETITIONS

House Bill 4275

Sponsor:  Rep. Barb Vander Veen

Committee:  House Oversight, Elections, and Ethics

Complete to 4-11-05

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4275 AS INTRODUCED 2-15-05

House Bill 4275 would amend the Michigan Election Law to specify that the board of state canvassers must declare a petition to put a question on the ballot to be sufficient unless the board determined that the petition was not in proper form or that the number of valid signatures was less than the minimum number required.  Further, the bill would prohibit the board of canvassers from considering the substance of the proposal affixed to the petition.

Currently under the law, the board of state canvassers makes an official declaration of the sufficiency or insufficiency of a petition at least two months before the election at which the proposal is to be submitted.  If the canvassers declare the petition sufficient, the secretary of state sends copies of the proposal’s statement of purpose to daily and weekly newspapers in the state, with the request that the proposal be given wide publicity.  [The law specifies that publication about the proposals in response to the request would not be paid for by the state.]  House Bill 4275 would retain these and other provisions.

MCL 168.477

FISCAL IMPACT:

There would be no fiscal impact to the state or to local units of government.

                                                                                           Legislative Analyst:   J. Hunault

                                                                                                  Fiscal Analyst:   Robin Risko

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.