Elections: petitions; process for counting duplicate petition signatures; provide for, and eliminate penalties. Amends secs. 482, 590h, 685, 957 & 958 of 1954 PA 116 (MCL 168.482 et seq.) & adds secs. 482f & 547.
SB 531 revises Michigan election law rules governing petition forms and signature counting for initiative petitions, nominating petitions, petitions for candidates without party affiliation, new political party petitions, and recall petitions. The bill standardizes petition language and formatting, adds explicit check-box language distinguishing paid signature gatherers from volunteers on initiative petitions, and clarifies that petition circulators must comply with all petition-circulator requirements or signatures they obtain are invalid and will not be counted.
A central feature of the bill is the creation of new provisions requiring that, when the same elector signs a petition more than once, only the first valid signature is counted. It adds this rule for initiative petitions and nominating petitions, and applies the same concept to qualifying petitions, new political party petitions, and recall petitions. The bill also updates wording throughout the election code to use gender-neutral terms such as “individual” instead of “person” and clarifies several signature-validity rules, including treatment of mailing addresses and city/township naming issues.
The bill amends multiple sections of the Michigan Election Law, including sections 482, 544c, 552a, 590h, 685, 957, and 958, and adds new sections 482f and 547. It changes how election officials count signatures by directing that duplicate signatures on covered petitions be reduced to the first valid signature, and it preserves or clarifies validity rules for certain address and jurisdiction errors. It also strengthens enforcement around petition circulation by requiring paid/volunteer disclosure on initiative petitions, reinforcing circulator certification requirements, and maintaining criminal penalties for false statements, multiple-name signatures, and other fraudulent conduct. The act takes effect January 1, 2027.
The bill appears to have received generally favorable treatment in the Senate, passing committee on a 5-1 vote and later passing the Senate on third reading by a 21-15 margin. The vote pattern suggests support for tightening and clarifying petition procedures, but not unanimous agreement. The substitute version and the relatively close floor vote indicate the measure was considered significant and somewhat divisive, even though it advanced.
The main points of contention are likely the bill’s stricter treatment of petition circulation and signature validity, especially the new rule that only the first valid duplicate signature counts and the provisions that can invalidate signatures gathered by circulators who fail to meet statutory requirements. Another likely area of debate is the bill’s retention of criminal and administrative penalties for petition fraud, including misdemeanor and felony exposure for certain conduct and sanctions that can affect candidates, sponsors, and petition drives. Supporters likely view the bill as an anti-fraud and administrative-clarity measure, while critics may see it as adding procedural hurdles that could make ballot access and petition drives more difficult.