BALLOT QUESTIONS
House Bill 4800
Sponsor: Rep. Charles LaSata
Committee: Constitutional Law and Ethics
Complete to 7-24-00
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4800 AS INTRODUCED 6-17-99
Currently under the Michigan Election Law, a candidate or elector filing a recount petition with the clerk of the correct local board of canvassers is required to deposit $10 with the clerk for each precinct referred to in the petition. A person filing a recount petition with the state Bureau of Elections also is required to deposit $10 for each precinct in which a recount of the votes is demanded.
The bill would amend the act to require that if someone filed a recount petition, whether with the clerk of the appropriate local board of canvassers or with the state Bureau of Elections, he or she would be required to deposit with the board or bureau a sum equal to 100 percent of the estimated cost -- as determined by the secretary of state -- of the recount for each precinct.
MCL 168.867 and 168.881
Analyst: S. Ekstrom