ELECTION AUDITS                                                                                                                                                           S.B. 275 & 276:

                                                                                                                                                                SUMMARY OF INTRODUCED BILL

                                                                                                                                                                                                                IN COMMITTEE

Senate Bills 275 and 276 (as introduced 3-24-21)

Sponsor:   Senator Jim Runestad

Committee:   Elections

Date Completed:   5-19-21

CONTENT

Senate Bill 275 would amend the Michigan Election Law to do the following:

 --     Allow individuals from each political party to attend and observe, and to bring their own video recording devices to record, election audit proceedings.

 --     Prohibit an individual observing an election audit from interfering with or disrupting the audit.

 --     Allow the tabulation of absentee ballots by an absent voter counting board (AVCB) or a combined AVCB to be recorded via live video coverage, beginning at 8 PM on election day.

 --     Allow a county, city, or township clerk to provide video coverage of the custody of ballots for any election involving a statewide, legislative, or county office, while those ballots were present in the tabulation room of a precinct, AVCB, or combined AVCB.

 --     Require the clerk of a county, city, or township to make the recording available for 40 days on the county, city, or township website.

 --     Allow the Secretary of State (SOS) to make the recordings available on the Secretary of State website.

 --     Require the clerk of a county, city, or township to retain the recordings of the live video coverage from each precinct, AVCB, and combined AVCB as a public record for 40 days after the election.

 --     Specify that any disruption in the live video coverage would not affect or prevent the continued tabulation of ballots.

Senate 276 would amend the Michigan Election Law to do the following:

 --     Authorize an election inspector, election challenger, or poll watcher to use a camera or video camera to photograph or video tape the tabulation of votes at a precinct, AVCB, or other location.

 --     Prohibit an individual from photographing or videotaping an elector entering, leaving, or voting at a precinct or other location, or the personal identification of an elector.

 --     Prohibit an individual from threatening, intimidating, impeding, or preventing an election inspector, election challenger, or poll watcher while he or she was photographing or videotaping the tabulation of votes.

 --     Prescribe misdemeanor penalties for violations of the bill.