House Moves Forward with Local Election Fix

Liz Gullett

Sep 08, 2017

This week, the House moved quickly to pass HB 4892, a one-time solution for locals dealing with a mix-up over the filing deadline for candidates of local offices. The legislation sponsored by Speaker Pro Tem Lee Chatfield (R-Levering), was introduced following a mistake by a local government in his district that would have left a number of candidates off the November ballot.

In 2014, a state law was passed requiring nominating petitions for candidates seeking office to be filed at least fifteen-weeks prior to the August primary. However, the city identified the filing deadline as twelve-weeks prior to the primary election. Due to the mix-up, five candidates running for city council and two candidates for mayor could be left off the ballot. Additionally, there were three other cities in the Michigan that made similar errors.

Representative Chatfield’s legislation ensures mayoral and city council candidates who filed petitions with the necessary signatures will be placed on the ballot in November. His bill also sets requirements for the four cities, including annual training seminars for the city clerk, and post-elections audits by the Secretary of State for the November 2017, 2018, and 2019 elections.

The bill has been referred to the Senate Elections and Government Reform Committee.

Michigan Legislative Consultants is a bipartisan lobbying firm based in Lansing, Michigan. Our team of lobbyists and procurement specialists provide a wide range of services for some of the most respected companies in America. For more on MLC, visit www.mlcmi.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.