CLERKS; VOTER REGISTRATION                          H.B. 4127 (H-1) & 4128 (H-2):

                                                                                         SUMMARY OF BILL

                                                                         REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE

House Bill 4127 (Substitute H-1 as reported without amendment)

House Bill 4128 (Substitute H-2 as reported without amendment)

Sponsor:  Representative Matt Hall (H.B. 4127)

               Representative Julie Calley (H.B. 4128)

House Committee:  Elections and Ethics

Senate Committee:  Elections

CONTENT

House Bill 4127 (H-2) would amend the Michigan Election Law to do the following:

-- Require the Secretary of State (SOS) to send a return card to a city or township clerk on which an elector with an unknown date of birth on the qualified voter file could verify his or her date of birth.

-- Require the SOS to include with the return card a notice with the statement specified in the bill.

-- Require a city or township clerk to identify as challenged the registration record of electors who had not completed the return card and provided proof of his or her birth date.

-- Require the clerk of a city or township, after receiving a return card, to compare the signature of an elector on the card to the signature for that elector on the qualified voter file and identify that registration record as challenged if the signatures did not match.

-- Require the clerk of a city or township to notify an elector if his or her signature on the return card did not match the signature on the qualified voter file.

-- Require the notice concerning signatures that did not match to include the steps the elector would have to take to have his or her registration record no longer considered challenged.

-- Require the SOS to identify the registration record of an elector as challenged if that elector's return card were returned to the SOS as undeliverable.

-- Require the SOS to cancel the registration of an elector if he or she did not vote or engage in voting-related activity by the first business day after the second general November election that was held after a notice was sent to that elector.

House Bill 4128 (H-2) would amend the Michigan Election Law to do the following:

-- Require the SOS to send a return card to a city or township clerk on which a registered elector who had not voted since the 2000 general November election could verify his or her current address information.

-- Require the Secretary of State to send a specified notice to applicable electors.

-- Require a city or township clerk to compare the signature on a return card with the signature for that elector on the qualified voter file and notify the elector if the signatures did not match.

-- Require the notice to an elector with a signature that did not match the qualified voter file to include steps the elector would have to take to have his or her registration record no longer considered to be challenged.

-- Require the Secretary of State to cancel the registration of an elector who had not voted or engaged in voting-related activity by the first business day after the second general November election that was held after the date on the notice.

MCL 168.510 (H.B. 4127)                          Legislative Analyst:  Stephen Jackson

       168.509bb (H.B. 4128)

FISCAL IMPACT

The bills would result in additional administrative costs for the Department of State associated with the mailings that would be required under the bills. The bills would amend the Michigan Election Law to require the SOS to remove from the qualified voter file voters who did not respond to a mailing notifying them that they have "placeholder" birthdates in the qualified voter file (House Bill (HB) 4127 (H-1)), or that they have not voted since the 2000 general November election (HB 4128 (H-2)).

The Department would have to mail prepaid and preaddressed return cards to registered electors in the qualified voter file who have placeholder birthdates or who have not voted since the 2000 general election. According the Department, the qualified voter file currently contains an estimated 600 registered electors with placeholder birthdays and an additional 304,300 registered electors who have not voted since the 2000 general November election. The estimated cost per mailing based on available data is $0.32 per parcel, which would add an additional $100,000 in mailing costs for the Department. These costs could be higher depending on the actual postage rate.

Date Completed:  3-14-22                                       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.