February 26, 2008, Introduced by Rep. LeBlanc and referred to the Committee on Ethics and Elections.
A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled
"Michigan election law,"
by amending sections 758, 759, and 759b (MCL 168.758, 168.759,
and 168.759b), section 758 as amended by 1996 PA 207 and section
759 as amended by 1995 PA 261.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
1 Sec. 758. (1) For the purposes of As used in this act,
2 "absent voter" means a qualified and registered elector who meets
3 1 or more of the following requirements:
4 (a) On account of physical disability, cannot without
5 another's assistance attend votes without attending the
polls on
6 the day of an election.
7 (b) On account of the tenets of his or her religion, cannot
1 attend the polls on the day of election.
2 (c) Cannot attend the polls on the day of an election in the
3 precinct in which he or she resides because of being an election
4 precinct inspector in another precinct.
5 (d) Is 60 years of age or older.
6 (e) Is absent or expects to be absent from the township or
7 city in which he or she resides during the entire period the
8 polls are open for voting on the day of an election.
9 (f) Cannot attend the polls on election day because of being
10 confined in jail awaiting arraignment or trial.
11 (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to Absent voter does not
12 include a person who has moved outside of this state, regardless
13 of length of his or her residence outside of this state, and who
14 no longer maintains an actual residence in this state. The
15 storage of personal effects or household goods, the ownership of
16 property that is rented or leased to others, or occasional brief
17 visits to a former domicile in this state while residing outside
18 of this state for most of the year does do not
constitute a
19 residence for voting purposes in this state, except for each of
20 the following:
21 (a) A person described in section 1 of article II of the
22 state constitution of 1963 and statutes enacted under that
23 section.
24 (b) A person described in section 759a.
25 Sec. 759. (1) At any time during the 75 days before a
26 primary election or special primary election, but not later than
27 2 p.m. of the Saturday immediately before the primary election or
1 special primary election, an elector who qualifies wants
to vote
2 as an absent voter , as defined in section 758, may apply for an
3 absent voter ballot. The elector shall apply in person or by mail
4 with the clerk of the township, city, or village in which the
5 elector is registered. An application received before a primary
6 election or special primary election may be for either that
7 primary election only, or for that primary election and the
8 election that follows.
9 (2) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (1), at any
10 time during the 75 days before an election, but not later than 2
11 p.m. of the Saturday before the election, an elector who
12 qualifies wants to vote as an absent voter , as defined in
13 section 758, may apply for
an absent voter ballot. The elector
14 shall apply in person or by mail with the clerk of the township,
15 city, or village in which the voter is registered.
16 (3) An application for an absent voter ballot under this
17 section may be made in any of the following ways:
18 (a) By a written request signed by the voter stating the
19 statutory grounds for making the application elector.
20 (b) On an absent voter ballot application form provided for
21 that purpose by the clerk of the city, township, or village.
22 (c) On a federal postcard application.
23 (4) An applicant for an absent voter ballot shall sign the
24 application. A clerk or assistant clerk shall not deliver an
25 absent voter ballot to an applicant who does not sign the
26 application. A person other than shall not be in possession of a
27 signed absent voter ballot application except for the applicant;
1 a member of the applicant's immediate family; a person residing
2 in the applicant's household; a person whose job normally
3 includes the handling of mail, but only during the course of his
4 or her employment; a registered elector requested by the
5 applicant to return the application; or a clerk, assistant of the
6 clerk, or other authorized election official. shall
not be in
7 possession of a signed absent voter ballot application. A
8 registered elector who is requested by the applicant to return
9 his or her absent voter ballot application shall sign the
10 certificate on the absent voter ballot application.
11 (5) The clerk of the city, township, or village shall have
12 absent voter ballot application forms available in the clerk's
13 office of the clerk at all times and shall furnish an absent
14 voter ballot application form to anyone upon a verbal or written
15 request. The absent voter ballot application shall be in
16 substantially the following form:
17 "Application for absent voter ballot for:
18 [ ] The primary election or special primary election to be
19 held on ..... , 19... __________________
[Date].
20 [ ] The election to be held on ..... , 19...
21 __________________ [Date].
22 (Check applicable election or elections)
23 I, .................................. , a qualified and
24 registered elector of the ............ precinct of the township
25 of ............ or village of ............ or of the ............
26 ward of the city of .................................. , in the
27 county of .................................. and state of
1 Michigan, apply for an official ballot, or ballots, to be voted
2 by me at the election or elections as requested in this
3 application.
4 The statutory grounds on which I base my request are:
5 [ ] I expect to be absent from the community in which I am
6 registered for the entire time the polls are open on election
7 day.
8 [ ] I am physically unable to attend the polls without the
9 assistance of another.
10 [ ] I cannot attend the polls because of the tenets of my
11 religion.
12 [ ] I have been appointed an election precinct inspector in
13 a precinct other than the precinct where I reside.
14 [ ] I am 60 years of age or older.
15 [ ] I cannot attend the polls because I am confined to jail
16 awaiting arraignment or trial.
17 (Check applicable reason)
18 Send absent voter ballot to me at:
19 ...........................................
20 (Street No. or R.R.)
21 .............................................................
22 (Post Office) (State) (Zip code)
23 My registered address .......................................
24 (Street No. or R.R.)
25 .......................................
26 (Post Office) (State) (Zip code)
27 Date.........................................................
28
I declare certify that the statements in this absent voter
29 ballot application are true.
1 .......................................
2 (Signature)
3 WARNING
4 A person making a false statement in this absent voter
5 ballot application is guilty of a misdemeanor. It is a violation
6 of Michigan election law for a person other than those listed in
7 the instructions to return, offer to return, agree to return, or
8 solicit to return your absent voter ballot application to the
9 clerk. An assistant authorized by the clerk who receives absent
10 voter ballot applications at a location other than the clerk's
11 office of the clerk must have credentials signed by the clerk.
12 Ask to see his or her credentials before entrusting your
13 application with a person claiming to have the clerk's
14 authorization to return your application.
15 Certificate of Authorized Registered
16 Elector Returning Absent Voter
17 Ballot Application
18 I certify that my name is .................... , my address
19 is .................... , and my date of birth is ............ ;
20 that I am delivering the absent voter ballot application of
21 .................... at his or her request; that I did not
22 solicit or request to return the application; that I have not
23 made any markings on the application; that I have not altered the
24 application in any way; that I have not influenced the applicant;
25 and that I am aware that a false statement in this certificate is
1 a violation of Michigan election law.
2 _____________ __________________________________
3 (Date) (Signature)"
4 (6) The following instructions for an applicant for an
5 absent voter ballot shall be included with each application
6 furnished an applicant:
7 INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICANTS FOR ABSENT VOTER BALLOTS
8 Step 1. After completely filling out the application, sign
9 and date the application in the place designated. Your signature
10 must appear on the application or you will not receive an absent
11 voter ballot.
12 Step 2. Deliver the application by 1 of the following
13 methods:
14 (a) Place the application in an envelope addressed to the
15 appropriate clerk and place the necessary postage upon the return
16 envelope and deposit it in the United States mail or with another
17 public postal service, express mail service, parcel post service,
18 or common carrier.
19 (b) Deliver the application personally to the clerk's
20 office, of the clerk, to the clerk, or to an
authorized assistant
21 of the clerk.
22 (c) In either (a) or (b), a member of the immediate family
23 of the voter including a father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-
24 in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandparent,
25 or grandchild or a person residing in the voter's household may
1 mail or deliver the application to the clerk for the applicant.
2 (d) In the event If
an applicant cannot return the
3 application in any of the above methods, the applicant may select
4 any registered elector to return the application. The person
5 returning the application must sign and return the certificate at
6 the bottom of the application.
7 (7) A person who prints and distributes absent voter ballot
8 applications shall print on the application the warning,
9 certificate of authorized registered elector returning absent
10 voter ballot application, and instructions required by this
11 section.
12 (8) A person who makes a false statement in an absent voter
13 ballot application is guilty of a misdemeanor. A person who
14 forges a signature on an absent voter ballot application is
15 guilty of a felony. A person who is not authorized in this act
16 and who both distributes absent voter ballot applications to
17 absent voters and returns those absent voter ballot applications
18 to a clerk or assistant of the clerk is guilty of a misdemeanor.
19 Sec. 759b. (1) Any A registered elector may apply for an
20 absent voter ballots ballot at any time prior to before
4 p.m. on
21 election day if he shall have become physically disabled or shall
22 be absent from the city or township because of sickness or death
23 in the family which an
event has occurred at a time which
has
24
that made it impossible to apply for an absent
voter ballots
25 ballot by the statutory deadline. The application shall be called
26 an emergency absent voter ballot application.
27 (2) Emergency absent voter ballot applications may be made
1 by letter or on a form prescribed by the secretary of state and
2 provided by the clerk. The application shall set forth that the
3 voter is qualified to vote in the election , stating the
4 statutory reason for applying for an emergency absent voter
5 ballot and that the
reason for applying after the statutory
6 deadline an event occurred at such a time to make it impossible
7 to file an application for
an absent voter ballots ballot
by the
8 statutory deadline.
9 (3) Any A person intentionally making a false statement in
10 such an emergency
absent voter ballot application is
guilty of a
11 felony. Any A person aiding or abetting any another
person to
12 make a false statement on such in an emergency absent voter
13 ballot application is guilty of a felony.
14 (4) Upon receipt by the clerk of a valid application for an
15 emergency absent voter ballot, the clerk may deliver the ballots
16 absent voter ballot to the applicant in person, through a deputy
17 or an election assistant, or he may deliver them at his or her
18 office to a person named by the applicant in the emergency absent
19
voter ballot application. The absent
voter may return the ballots
20
absent voter ballot to the clerk in
the sealed envelope provided
21 therefor in any manner. he
sees fit. To However, to be valid,
22 ballots must be returned the
absent voter shall return the absent
23 voter ballot to the clerk in the sealed envelope provided for
24
that reason and in time to be delivered
to the polls prior to
25 before 8 p.m. on election day.