RECOUNT OF ELECTION RESULTS                                                           H.B. 4833 (H-4):

                                                                                                    SUMMARY OF BILL

                                                                                      REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE

House Bill 4833 (Substitute H-4 as reported without amendment)

Sponsor:  Representative Kurt Heise

House Committee:  Elections and Ethics

Senate Committee:  Local Government and Elections

CONTENT

The bill would amend the Michigan Election Law to do the following:

-- Increase from $10 to $25 the per-precinct deposit that must be paid when a petition for a recount of an election is filed with the clerk of the board of county canvassers or the Bureau of Elections.

-- Require a $125 deposit per precinct if the number of votes separating a winning candidate and the petitioner, or the number of votes separating the votes for and against a proposal, were more than 50 or 0.5% of the votes cast, whichever was greater.

-- Require the refund of a petitioner's deposit if a precinct were determined to be "not recountable" or were not recounted before the recount petition was withdrawn.

MCL 168.867 & 168.881                                            Legislative Analyst:  Patrick Affholter

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would have a positive, albeit indeterminate, fiscal impact on local units of government and on the Bureau of Elections in the Department of State. The bill would increase currently required deposits and add new deposit requirements depending on the recount outcome, as described in the bill. These provisions could result in additional revenue for local units of government and the State depending on the number of recount requests for each election. The Secretary of State does not collect data on the number of recount petitions for local elections; however, the number of recount petitions and the resulting increase in revenue are assumed to be minimal.

Date Completed:  12-12-14                                                  Fiscal Analyst:  Joe Carrasco

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.