Mich. Comp. Laws § 168.544c — MI Code / Chapter 168 / Act Act-116-of-1954 / Section 168.544c
Nominating petition; type size; form; contents; circulation and signing; validity of elector's signature; agreement of circulator to accept jurisdiction; service with legal process; violations; misdemeanor; felony; sanctions; refusal of individual to comply with subpoena; applicability of section to all sections.
Status: in_force

Sec. 544c.

(1) A nominating petition must be 8-1/2 inches by 14 inches in size. On a nominating petition, the words "nominating petition" must be printed in 24-point boldface type. "We, the undersigned," et cetera must be printed in 8-point type. "Warning" and language in the warning must be printed in 12-point boldface type. The balance of the petition must be printed in 8-point type. The name, address, and party affiliation of the candidate and the office for which petitions are signed must be printed in type not larger than 24-point. The petition must be in the following form:

NOMINATING PETITION (PARTISAN) We, the undersigned, registered and qualified voters of the city or township of .................. , in the county (strike 1) of ................... and state of Michigan, nominate, .............................................................. , (Name of Candidate) .............................................................. , (Street Address or Rural Route) (City or Township) as a candidate of the ................... party for the office of .......................... , .............................................................. , (District, if any) to be voted for at the primary election to be held on the ............ day of ............. , 20 ........ . WARNING A person who knowingly signs more petitions for the same office than there are persons to be elected to the office, signs a petition more than once, or signs a name other than his or her own is violating the provisions of the Michigan election law. Printed Street Address Name and or Date of Signing Signature Rural Route Zip Code Mo. Day Year 1. _______________________________________________________________ 2. _______________________________________________________________ 3. _______________________________________________________________ 4. _______________________________________________________________ numbered lines as above CERTIFICATE OF CIRCULATOR

NOMINATING PETITION

(PARTISAN)

We, the undersigned, registered and qualified voters

of the city or township of .................. , in the county

(strike 1)

of ................... and state of Michigan, nominate,

.............................................................. ,

(Name of Candidate)

.............................................................. ,

(Street Address or Rural Route) (City or Township)

as a candidate of the ................... party for the office of .......................... ,

.............................................................. ,

(District, if any)

to be voted for at the primary election to be held on the ............ day of ............. , 20 ........ .

WARNING

A person who knowingly signs more petitions for the same office than there are persons to be elected to the office, signs a petition more than once, or signs a name other than his or her own is violating the provisions of the Michigan election law.

Printed

Street Address

Name and

or

Date of Signing

Signature

Rural Route

Zip Code

Mo.

Day

Year

1. _______________________________________________________________

2. _______________________________________________________________

3. _______________________________________________________________

4. _______________________________________________________________

numbered lines as above

CERTIFICATE OF CIRCULATOR

The undersigned circulator of the above petition asserts that he or she is 18 years of age or older and a United States citizen; that each signature on the petition was signed in his or her presence; that he or she has neither caused nor permitted a person to sign the petition more than once and has no knowledge of a person signing the petition more than once; and that, to his or her best knowledge and belief, each signature is the genuine signature of the person purporting to sign the petition, the person signing the petition was at the time of signing a registered elector of the city or township listed in the heading of the petition, and the elector was qualified to sign the petition.

Circulator-Do not sign or date certificate until after circulating petition.

____ If the circulator is not a resident of Michigan, the circulator shall make a cross or check mark on the line provided, otherwise each signature on this petition sheet is invalid and the signatures will not be counted by a filing official. By making a cross or check mark on the line provided, the undersigned circulator asserts that he or she is not a resident of Michigan and agrees to accept the jurisdiction of this state for the purpose of any legal proceeding or hearing that concerns a petition sheet executed by the circulator and agrees that legal process served on the secretary of state or a designated agent of the secretary of state has the same effect as if personally served on the circulator.

________________________________________________ (Printed Name and Signature of Circulator) (Date) ________________________________________________ (Complete Residence Address (Street and Number or Rural Route)) Do not enter a post office box ________________________________________________ (City or Township, State, Zip Code) ________________________________________________ (County of Registration, if Registered to Vote, of a Circulator who is not a Resident of Michigan)

________________________________________________

(Printed Name and Signature of Circulator) (Date)

________________________________________________

(Complete Residence Address (Street and Number or Rural

Route)) Do not enter a post office box

________________________________________________

(City or Township, State, Zip Code)

________________________________________________

(County of Registration, if Registered to Vote, of a

Circulator who is not a Resident of Michigan)

Warning-A circulator knowingly making a false statement in the above certificate, a person not a circulator who signs as a circulator, or a person who signs a name other than his or her own as circulator is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(2) The petition must be in a form providing a space for the circulator and each elector who signs the petition to print his or her name. The secretary of state shall prescribe the location of the space for the printed name. The failure of the circulator or an elector who signs the petition to print his or her name, to print his or her name in the location prescribed by the secretary of state, or to enter a zip code or his or her correct zip code does not affect the validity of the signature of the circulator or the elector who signs the petition. A printed name located in the space prescribed for printed names does not constitute the signature of the circulator or elector. If an elector does not include his or her signature, his or her street address or rural route, or the date of signing on the petition as required under subsection (1), the elector's signature is invalid and must not be counted by a filing official.

(3) If the circulator of a petition under section 482, a qualifying petition for an office named in section 590b(4), or a petition to form a new political party under section 685 is not a resident of this state, the circulator shall indicate where provided on the certificate of circulator that he or she agrees to accept the jurisdiction of this state for the purpose of any legal proceeding or hearing initiated under section 476, 552, 590f(2), or 685 that concerns a petition sheet executed by the circulator and agrees that legal process served on the secretary of state or a designated agent of the secretary of state has the same effect as if personally served on the circulator.

(4) If the secretary of state or a designated agent of the secretary of state is served with legal process as described in subsection (3), the secretary of state shall promptly notify the circulator by personal service or certified mail at the circulator's residential address as indicated in the certificate of circulator.

(5) The circulator of a petition shall sign and date the certificate of circulator before the petition is filed. A circulator shall not obtain electors' signatures after the circulator has signed and dated the certificate of circulator. A filing official shall not count electors' signatures that were obtained after the date the circulator signed the certificate or that are contained in a petition that the circulator did not sign and date.

(6) Except as provided in section 544d, a petition sheet must not be circulated in more than 1 city or township and each signer of a petition sheet must be a registered elector of the city or township indicated in the heading of the petition sheet. The invalidity of 1 or more signatures on a petition does not affect the validity of the remainder of the signatures on the petition.

(7) An individual shall not sign more nominating petitions for the same office than there are persons to be elected to the office. An individual who violates this subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(8) An individual shall not do any of the following:

(a) Sign a petition with a name other than his or her own.

(b) Make a false statement in a certificate on a petition.

(c) If not a circulator, sign a petition as a circulator.

(d) Sign a name as circulator other than his or her own.

(9) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (10), an individual who violates subsection (8) is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $500.00 or imprisonment for not more than 93 days, or both.

(10) An individual shall not sign a petition with multiple names. An individual who violates this subsection is guilty of a felony.

(11) If after a canvass and a hearing on a petition under section 476 or 552 the board of state canvassers determines that an individual has knowingly and intentionally failed to comply with subsection (8) or (10), the board of state canvassers may impose 1 or more of the following sanctions:

(a) Disqualify obviously fraudulent signatures on a petition form on which the violation of subsection (8) or (10) occurred, without checking the signatures against local registration records.

(b) Disqualify from the ballot a candidate who committed, aided or abetted, or knowingly allowed the violation of subsection (8) or (10) on a petition to nominate that candidate.

(12) If an individual violates subsection (8) or (10) and the affected petition sheet is filed, each of the following who knew of the violation of subsection (8) or (10) before the filing of the affected petition sheet and who failed to report the violation to the secretary of state, the filing official, if different, the attorney general, a law enforcement officer, or the county prosecuting attorney is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than $500.00 or imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or both:

(a) The circulator of the petition, if different than the individual who violated subsection (8) or (10).

(b) If the petition is a nominating petition, the candidate whose nomination is sought.

(c) If the petition is a petition for a ballot question or recall, the organization or other person sponsoring the petition drive.

(13) If after a canvass and a hearing on a petition under section 476 or 552 the board of state canvassers determines that an individual has violated subsection (12), the board of state canvassers may impose 1 or more of the following sanctions:

(a) Impose on the organization or other person sponsoring the petition drive an administrative fine of not more than $5,000.00.

(b) Charge the organization or other person sponsoring the petition drive for the costs of canvassing a petition form on which a violation of subsection (8) or (10) occurred.

(c) Disqualify an organization or other person described in subdivision (a) from collecting signatures on a petition for a period of not more than 4 years.

(d) Disqualify obviously fraudulent signatures on a petition form on which a violation of subsection (8) or (10) occurred without checking the signatures against local registration records.

(e) Disqualify from the ballot a candidate who committed, aided or abetted, or knowingly allowed a violation of subsection (8) or (10) on a petition to nominate that candidate.

(14) If an individual refuses to comply with a subpoena of the board of state canvassers in an investigation of an alleged violation of subsection (8), (10), or (12), the board may hold the canvass of the petitions in abeyance until the individual complies.

(15) A person who aids or abets another in an act that is prohibited by this section is guilty of that act.

(16) The provisions of this section except as otherwise expressly provided apply to all petitions circulated under authority of the election law.

History: Add. 1965, Act 312, Eff. Jan. 1, 1966; Am. 1972, Act 22, Imd. Eff. Feb. 19, 1972; Am. 1982, Act 408, Eff. Mar. 30, 1983; Am. 1989, Act 142, Imd. Eff. June 29, 1989; Am. 1990, Act 329, Imd. Eff. Dec. 21, 1990; Am. 1993, Act 137, Eff. Jan. 1, 1994; Am. 1999, Act 219, Eff. Mar. 10, 2000; Am. 2002, Act 431, Imd. Eff. June 6, 2002; Am. 2014, Act 94, Imd. Eff. Apr. 3, 2014; Am. 2014, Act 418, Imd. Eff. Dec. 30, 2014; Am. 2018, Act 650, Imd. Eff. Dec. 28, 2018