HOUSE BILL No. 4947

 

 

September 4, 2013, Introduced by Reps. McCann, Schor, Irwin, Singh, Hobbs, Slavens, Kosowski, Geiss, Kandrevas, Nathan, Barnett, Tlaib, Brunner, Smiley, Faris, Dillon, Brinks, Cochran, Stanley, Segal, Switalski, Durhal, Hovey-Wright, Clemente and Lipton and referred to the Committee on Elections and Ethics.

 

     A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled

 

"Michigan election law,"

 

by amending sections 169, 170, and 173 (MCL 168.169, 168.170, and

 

168.173), section 169 as amended by 1990 PA 7, and by adding

 

section 169a.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 169. When If the candidate of a political party that is

 

not a major political party, after having been nominated to the

 

office of state senator or state representative, shall die, be

 

certified by a state convention for a statewide office, withdraw

 

dies, withdraws from the district, become becomes physically unfit,

 

or become becomes disqualified for any reason, the members residing

 

within said the senatorial or representative district of the county

 

executive committees of such the candidate's political party for

 


the counties comprising said the senatorial or representative

 

district shall meet at a time and place designated by the

 

chairperson of the state central committee of such the political

 

party and notice of such the meeting shall be sent to all such

 

members of the county executive committees. The meeting shall be

 

conducted by the secretary of the state central committee or his or

 

her duly authorized agent, but said the secretary or agent shall

 

not be privileged to vote at such the meeting. A candidate to fill

 

the vacancy shall be selected by a majority vote of the committee

 

members present and voting. : Provided, That if such If a vacancy

 

occurs in a senatorial or representative district wholly within 1

 

county, a candidate to fill the vacancy shall be selected by the

 

county executive committee of the county by a majority vote

 

thereof. The name of the candidate so selected shall be certified

 

immediately by the chairperson and the secretary of said the

 

committee to the secretary of state in those districts comprising 2

 

or more counties and to the county clerk in those districts

 

contained within 1 county. The certification shall be sent in any

 

case to the board of election commissioners for each county , whose

 

duty it is to prepare the official ballots. ; and said The board

 

shall cause to be printed or placed upon such the ballots, in the

 

proper place, the name of the candidate so selected and certified

 

to fill such the vacancy.

 

     Sec. 169a. (1) If the candidate of a major political party,

 

after having been nominated to the office of state senator or state

 

representative and before the general November election, dies, is

 

certified by a state convention for a statewide office, withdraws

 


from the district, becomes physically unfit, or becomes

 

disqualified for any reason, the general November election for that

 

office shall not be held. The governor shall call a special

 

election in that senatorial or representative district to be held

 

on the next scheduled election day in the year following the year

 

in which the general November election was held. The members

 

residing within that state senatorial or state representative

 

district of the county executive committees of that candidate's

 

political party for the counties comprising the senatorial or

 

representative district shall meet at a time and place designated

 

by the chairperson of the state central committee of that political

 

party and notice of the meeting shall be sent to all members of the

 

county executive committees. The meeting shall be conducted by the

 

secretary of the state central committee or his or her duly

 

authorized agent, but the secretary or agent shall not be

 

privileged to vote at the meeting. A candidate to fill the vacancy

 

shall be selected by a majority vote of the members present and

 

voting. If a vacancy occurs in a senatorial or representative

 

district wholly within 1 county, a candidate to fill the vacancy

 

shall be selected by the county executive committee of the county

 

by a majority vote thereof. The name of the candidate selected

 

shall be certified immediately by the chairperson and the secretary

 

of the committee to the secretary of state in those districts

 

comprising 2 or more counties and to the county clerk in those

 

districts contained within 1 county. The certification shall be

 

sent in any case to the board of election commissioners for each

 

county whose duty it is to prepare the official ballots. The board

 


shall cause to be printed on the special election ballot, in the

 

proper place, the name of the candidate selected and certified by

 

the major political party to fill the vacancy.

 

     (2) In addition to the requirements under subsection (1), the

 

board of election commissioners of each affected county shall cause

 

to be printed on the special election ballot, in the proper place,

 

the names of any other political party candidates who were

 

nominated to appear on the general November election ballot for

 

this office.

 

     (3) If the election to fill the office of state senator or

 

state representative is held at a special election as provided in

 

this section, the incumbent state senator or state representative

 

shall continue to represent the district from which he or she is

 

elected until his or her successor is elected and qualified.

 

     (4) This section shall be known and may be cited as the

 

"Robert B. Jones every vote counts election law".

 

     Sec. 170. (1) A Except as otherwise provided in section 169a,

 

a state senator in each senatorial district shall be elected in the

 

general November election in 1964, 1966 and every fourth year

 

thereafter.

 

     (2) A Except as otherwise provided in section 169a, a

 

representative in each representative district shall be elected at

 

each general November election.

 

     Sec. 173. (1) The Except as otherwise provided in this

 

subsection, the term of office of state senator and state

 

representative shall commence commences at 12 noon on January 1

 

next following his or her election. If a state senator or state

 


representative is elected at a special election as provided in

 

section 169a, the term of office for that state senator or state

 

representative commences at 12 noon on the day after the results of

 

the special election are certified by the appropriate board of

 

canvassers.

 

     (2) The Except as otherwise provided in subsection (4), the

 

term of office of state representative shall be is 2 years. The

 

term of office of state senators elected at the general election in

 

1964 shall be 2 years.

 

     (3) The Except as otherwise provided in subsection (5), the

 

term of office of state senators elected at the general November

 

election in 1966 and every fourth year thereafter shall be is 4

 

years.

 

     (4) The term of office for a state representative elected at a

 

special election as provided in section 169a is for the remainder

 

of the year in which he or she is elected and for the year after

 

the year in which he or she is elected.

 

     (5) The term of office for a state senator elected at a

 

special election as provided in section 169a is for the remainder

 

of the year in which he or she is elected and for the 3 years after

 

the year in which he or she is elected.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take effect

 

unless Senate Joint Resolution ____ or House Joint Resolution X___

 

(request no. 03413'13 a) of the 97th Legislature becomes a part of

 

the state constitution of 1963 as provided in section 1 of article

 

XII of the state constitution of 1963.