RESIDENCY OF ELECTION INSPECTORS

House Bill 5119

Sponsor:  Rep. Rick Outman

Committee:  Redistricting and Elections

Complete to 1-16-12

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 5119 AS INTRODUCED 10-25-11

House Bill 5119 would amend the Michigan Election Law (MCL 168.677) to require that precinct election inspectors be qualified and registered electors of the state, rather than of the counties where they reside.  A more detailed description of the bill follows.

 

Currently under the law, a precinct election inspector must be a qualified and registered elector of the county in which he or she serves, or in the case of a local unit of government that lies in more than one county, then a qualified and registered elector of that local unit of government in which the election is being held.  House Bill 5119 would eliminate these county and multi-county local unit residency requirements, and instead specify that a precinct election inspector must be a qualified and registered elector of this state. 

Further, House Bill 5119 would also eliminate the county residency requirement from the form that an applicant for election inspector must complete.  

Now under the law, high-school students 16- or 17-years of age can be appointed to a board of election inspectors (with an excused absence from school officials).  House Bill 5119 would retain this provision, but eliminate the county residency requirement for high-school aged applicants.

FISCAL IMPACT:

House Bill 5119 would have an indeterminate, but likely negligible, fiscal impact on state and local government.  Any impact would be the result of minimal administrative changes necessary to conform to the requirements of the bill. 

                                                                                           Legislative Analyst:   J. Hunault

                                                                                                  Fiscal Analyst:   Ben Gielczyk

■ 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.