SB-0329, As Passed Senate, May 19, 2015
May 12, 2015, Introduced by Senator ANANICH and referred to the Committee on Elections and Government Reform.
A bill to amend 1954 PA 116, entitled
"Michigan election law,"
by amending section 644f (MCL 168.644f), as amended by 2012 PA 276.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec.
644f. (1) Until December 31, 2013, and except as provided
in
section 644e, nominating petitions for offices to be filled at
the
odd year general election shall be filed by 4 p.m. on the
twelfth
Tuesday before the odd year primary election. Beginning
January
1, 2014, and except Except as provided in this section and
section 644e, nominating petitions for offices to be filled at the
odd year general election shall be filed by 4 p.m. on the fifteenth
Tuesday before the odd year primary election. The place of filing
and the number of signatures shall be the same as is now required
by
law for such those offices.
(2) If a nonpartisan petition requirement is not contained in
law or charter, the minimum number of signatures shall be the
amount as provided for in section 544f.
(3) If, upon the expiration of the time for filing nonpartisan
petitions, not more than twice the number of candidates as there
are persons to be elected to that office have filed, the primary
for that office shall not be held and those persons filing valid
petitions shall be declared the nominees for the offices, unless a
city charter provides otherwise for city offices.
(4) Until December 31, 2015, the nominating petition filing
deadline for candidates for city offices may be adjusted as
provided in subsection (5) if all of the following occur:
(a) The city clerk publishes a nominating petition filing
deadline that is different than the fifteenth Tuesday before the
odd year primary election and the nominating petition filing
deadline published by the city clerk is between the fifteenth
Tuesday and the twelfth Tuesday before the odd year primary
election.
(b) The city clerk did not publicly correct the filing
deadline error at least 2 weeks before the fifteenth Tuesday before
the odd year primary election.
(c) One or more candidates for city offices in that city
relied upon the incorrect nominating petition filing deadline and
failed to file nominating petitions by the fifteenth Tuesday before
the odd year primary election.
(5) If the bureau of elections confirms that all of the
conditions set forth in subsection (4) are met, the bureau of
elections may authorize the city clerk to adjust the nominating
petition filing deadline for that odd year primary election from
the fifteenth Tuesday before the odd year primary election to the
incorrectly published nominating petition filing deadline.