September 4, 2013, Introduced by Reps. McCann, Schor, Irwin, Singh, Hobbs, Slavens, Kosowski, Geiss, Kandrevas, Barnett, Nathan, Tlaib, Brunner, Faris, Smiley, Dillon, Brinks, Cochran, Stanley, Segal, Switalski, Durhal, Hovey-Wright, Clemente and Lipton and referred to the Committee on Elections and Ethics.
A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the state
constitution of 1963, by amending section 5 of article II, sections
2 and 3 of article IV, and section 2 of article XI, to modify the
term of office for a state senator or state representative under
certain circumstances.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
state of Michigan, That the following amendment to the state
constitution of 1963, to modify the term of office for a state
senator or state representative under certain circumstances, is
proposed, agreed to, and submitted to the people of the state:
ARTICLE II
Sec. 5. Except for special elections to fill vacancies, or as
otherwise provided in this constitution or provided by law, all
elections for national, state, county, and township offices shall
be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in
each even-numbered year or on such other date as members of the
congress of the United States are regularly elected.
ARTICLE IV
Sec. 2. The senate shall consist of 38 members to be elected
from single member districts. Except as otherwise provided by law,
the senate members shall be elected at the same election as the
governor for four-year terms concurrent with the term of office of
the governor.
In districting the state for the purpose of electing senators
after the official publication of the total population count of
each federal decennial census, each county shall be assigned
apportionment factors equal to the sum of its percentage of the
state's population as shown by the last regular federal decennial
census computed to the nearest one-one hundredth of one percent
multiplied by four and its percentage of the state's land area
computed to the nearest one-one hundredth of one percent.
In arranging the state into senatorial districts, the
apportionment commission shall be governed by the following rules:
(1) Counties with 13 or more apportionment factors shall be
entitled as a class to senators in the proportion that the total
apportionment factors of such counties bear to the total
apportionment factors of the state computed to the nearest whole
number. After each such county has been allocated one senator, the
remaining senators to which this class of counties is entitled
shall be distributed among such counties by the method of equal
proportions applied to the apportionment factors.
(2) Counties having less than 13 apportionment factors shall
be entitled as a class to senators in the proportion that the total
apportionment factors of such counties bear to the total
apportionment factors of the state computed to the nearest whole
number. Such counties shall thereafter be arranged into senatorial
districts that are compact, convenient, and contiguous by land, as
rectangular in shape as possible, and having as nearly as possible
13 apportionment factors, but in no event less than 10 or more than
16. Insofar as possible, existing senatorial districts at the time
of reapportionment shall not be altered unless there is a failure
to comply with the above standards.
(3) Counties entitled to two or more senators shall be divided
into single member districts. The population of such districts
shall be as nearly equal as possible but shall not be less than 75
percent nor more than 125 percent of a number determined by
dividing the population of the county by the number of senators to
which it is entitled. Each such district shall follow incorporated
city or township boundary lines to the extent possible and shall be
compact, contiguous, and as nearly uniform in shape as possible.
Sec. 3. The house of representatives shall consist of 110
members
elected for two-year terms from single member districts
apportioned on a basis of population as provided in this article.
The districts shall consist of compact and convenient territory
contiguous by land. Except as otherwise provided by law, the
members shall be elected to the house of representatives for two-
year terms.
Each county which has a population of not less than seven-
tenths of one percent of the population of the state shall
constitute a separate representative area. Each county having less
than seven-tenths of one percent of the population of the state
shall be combined with another county or counties to form a
representative area of not less than seven-tenths of one percent of
the population of the state. Any county which is isolated under the
initial allocation as provided in this section shall be joined with
that contiguous representative area having the smallest percentage
of the state's population. Each such representative area shall be
entitled initially to one representative.
After the assignment of one representative to each of the
representative areas, the remaining house seats shall be
apportioned among the representative areas on the basis of
population by the method of equal proportions.
Any county comprising a representative area entitled to two or
more representatives shall be divided into single member
representative districts as follows:
(1) The population of such districts shall be as nearly equal
as possible but shall not be less than 75 percent nor more than 125
percent of a number determined by dividing the population of the
representative area by the number of representatives to which it is
entitled.
(2) Such single member districts shall follow city and
township boundaries where applicable and shall be composed of
compact and contiguous territory as nearly square in shape as
possible.
Any representative area consisting of more than one county,
entitled to more than one representative, shall be divided into
single member districts as equal as possible in population,
adhering to county lines.
ARTICLE XI
Sec. 2. The terms of office of elective state officers,
members of the legislature, and justices and judges of courts of
record shall begin at twelve o'clock noon on the first day of
January next succeeding their election, except as otherwise
provided in this constitution or as otherwise provided by law. The
terms of office of county officers shall begin on the first day of
January next succeeding their election, except as otherwise
provided by law.
Resolved further, That the foregoing amendment shall be
submitted to the people of the state at the next general election
in the manner provided by law.