Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

Legislative Analysis
                                                                                        Phone: (517) 373-8080
ONLINE ABSENT VOTER BALLOT APPLICATION
                                                                                        http://www.house.mi.gov/hfa
House Bill 4570 (H-1) as passed by the House
                                                                                        Analysis available at
Sponsor: Rep. Julie M. Rogers                                                           http://www.legislature.mi.gov
Committee: Elections
Complete to 10-26-23
                                                                           (Enacted as Public Act 270 of 2023)
SUMMARY:
         House Bill 4570 would amend the Michigan Election Law to allow registered and qualified
         voters to apply for an absentee ballot through an online system maintained by the secretary of
         state (SOS). Michigan currently offers an online absentee ballot application system, but it is
         not provided for in statute. 1
         The bill would require SOS to provide and maintain an online application portal that allows
         qualified and registered electors to request an absentee ballot for an election occurring in their
         city or township and that is in substantially the same form as the physical application. 2
         The online application would have to provide electors with the opportunity to use their stored
         digital signatures on file with SOS to complete the application. To allow an elector to use a
         stored digital signature, the application would have to verify their identity and voter registration
         status by requesting the following information:
             • The elector’s name, date of birth, and eye color.
             • The elector’s driver’s license or state personal identification card number.
             • The last four digits of the elector’s Social Security number.
         A registered elector whose digital signature is stored on file with the SOS in the Michigan
         Department of State’s motor vehicle database would have to sign the online absentee ballot
         application with that digital signature. If an elector does not have a digital signature on file,
         they could upload a photo of their handwritten signature into the application system.
         Once an online absentee ballot application is completed and signed, it would be sent through
         the Qualified Voter File (QVF) to the appropriate city or township clerk for processing. (The
         instructions provided on each absent voter ballot application would include a direction to send
         an application electronically through the QVF for processing if an applicant uses the online
         application.) A properly submitted online application would have to be processed and treated
         identically to a physical absentee ballot application with a handwritten signature.
         MCL 168.759
BACKGROUND:
         As of 2022, 19 states, including Michigan, offered an online portal for absent voter ballot
         applications. 3
1
  Michigan’s online absentee voter application portal can be found here: https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/avapplication.
2
  An absentee ballot application template can be found here: https://www.michigan.gov/sos/-
/media/Project/Websites/sos/Elections/Election-Forms/Absent-Voter-Ballot-Application-Fillable.pdf.
3
  The full list of states can be found here: https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/table-6-states-with-online-
absentee-ballot-application-portals.
House Fiscal Agency                                                                                        Page 1 of 2
FISCAL IMPACT:
       The bill would result in additional technology programming costs to develop an online absent
       voter application system. The Department of State’s ongoing appropriation for information
       technology may be sufficient to this additional cost but the cost has not yet been determined.
       The bill would have no fiscal impact on local units of government.
POSITIONS:
       Representatives of the following entities testified in support of the bill:
          • City of Ann Arbor (5-23-23)
          • City of Lansing (5-23-23)
          • Pride at Work Michigan (6-6-23)
          • Promote the Vote (5-23-23)
          • Voters Not Politicians (5-23-23)
       The following entities indicated support for the bill:
          • Michigan Department of State (5-23-23)
          • American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan (5-23-23)
          • Anti-Defamation League Michigan (5-23-23)
          • Campaign Legal Center (5-23-23)
          • Common Cause Michigan (6-6-23)
          • League of Women Voters of Michigan (5-23-23)
          • Michigan Association of County Clerks (5-23-23)
          • Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks (5-23-23)
          • Michigan Democratic Party (6-6-23)
          • Michigan League of Conservation Voters (6-6-23)
          • Michigan League for Public Policy (6-6-23)
          • Michigan Municipal League (6-6-23)
          • NextGen America (6-6-23)
          • Secure Democracy (5-23-23)
       Pure Integrity for Michigan Elections indicated a neutral position on the bill. (6-6-23)
       Heritage Action for America entities indicated opposition to the bill. (5-23-23)
                                                            Legislative Analyst: Holly Kuhn
                                                                 Fiscal Analyst: Michael Cnossen
■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency staff for use by House members in their
deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.
House Fiscal Agency                                      HB 4570 (H-1) as passed by the House   Page 2 of 2
Statutes affected: 
Substitute (H-1): 168.759
House Introduced Bill: 168.759
As Passed by the House: 168.759
As Passed by the Senate: 168.759
House Concurred Bill: 168.759
Public Act: 168.759
House Enrolled Bill: 168.759