Section 168.775 - Voting machines; ballot labels, printing, order of names; amendments or questions; vignettes; printed ballots. - Michigan Statutes

MICHIGAN ELECTION LAW (EXCERPT)
Act 116 of 1954

168.775 Voting machines; ballot labels, printing, order of names; amendments or questions; vignettes; printed ballots.

Sec. 775.

All ballot labels shall be printed in black ink on clear white material or amendments, propositions and questions may be printed on red tinted material and the names of candidates for nonpartisan offices on blue tinted material of such size as will fit the ballot frame and in plain type as the space will reasonably permit. (The name of each candidate for nomination to any office by a political party shall be placed upon the party row of such party to which shall be prefixed the name and vignette of such party.) The names of candidates for office to be voted for at such election shall be placed upon such machines in the same order that the names of candidates for office are now required to be placed upon printed ballots by the general election law. Where candidates for local offices in any city, village or township are to be voted for at the same election with state or county candidates, the names of the candidates for such offices shall be placed last upon such voting machines, following the names of candidates for state, county and other offices to be voted for at such election, and the name of the local unit shall be prominently printed on the ballot to indicate the portion of the ballot on which the names of the local candidates appear. The order in which The names of such candidates for local offices shall be placed upon such machines shall be prescribed by the board of election commissioners of the city, village or township, as the case may be. Where amendments to the constitution or other questions are to be voted on, such amendments or questions shall be placed on the voting machine upon the portion of the keyboard provided therefor or upon any other available space when deemed advisable by the board of election commissioners of the county, city, village or township. In city and village elections where any special question is to be voted on, a condensed statement of such question not to exceed 100 words may be placed upon the voting machine in lieu of a verbatim statement of such question. Such condensed statement shall be in such form as to apprise the voter of the exact question to be voted on. Said provision may also apply to amendments, provided that verbatim statements thereof shall in such cases be placed conspicuously within the machine booth so that each voter may, if he desires, read the entire context of such amendments; such condensed statements shall be written under the direction of the proper legal authority in the state, county, city, village or township, as the case may be. Two or more independent nominations may be placed on the same party row and such candidates shall be voted for individually. The party lever or device, if any, in connection with such party row, shall be locked whenever such party row does not contain the names of candidates of a party organization or the names of an independent body which may have nominated candidates for more than 1 office. The vignettes adopted for such independent candidates, if any, shall be printed upon the ballot labels in connection with the names of such candidates. Where voting machines are purchased or are used, the election commissioners of the county, city, village or township shall not be required to print and furnish paper ballots for election districts using voting machines, except for any question or matter that cannot be provided for by the voting machines. The board of election commissioners of the county shall cause to be printed ballot labels or slips containing the names of candidates for all offices to be voted for or questions to be voted upon, except when the city, village or township officials only are to be elected, at which time the city, village or township clerk shall provide such ballot labels for use upon such voting machines, and shall forward the same to the board of election commissioners of each city, village or township within the county where such voting machines are used at least 5 secular days before the day of election. Whenever local officers are to be elected at any such general election, it shall be the duty of the city, township or village clerk, respectively, to file with the board of election commissioners of the county, the titles of offices, the names of all candidates to be voted for, and all questions or propositions to be voted upon within such city, township or village, at that election.

History: 1954, Act 116, Eff. June 1, 1955 ;-- Am. 1955, Act 271, Imd. Eff. June 30, 1955 ;-- Am. 1957, Act 293, Eff. Sept. 27, 1957 ;-- Am. 1959, Act 173, Eff. Mar. 19, 1960 ;-- Am. 1961, Act 178, Eff. Sept. 8, 1961
Compiler's Notes: This section was amended by Act 240 of 1964, but that act was disapproved by the voters in the November, 1964, election.
Popular Name: Election Code