Public Act 52 of 2007

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• Introduced by Sen. Michelle McManus (R) on June 27, 2007, to set January 29 as the date for the 2008 presidential primary in Michigan, and require presidential primary voters to declare their party in order to vote. Also, to establish date ranges for future presidential primaries (sometime between the second Tuesday in January and the fourth Tuesday in February); establish procedures by which Democratic and Republican party chairs would determine the date; and prohibit either party from canceling a primary after Sept. 15 of the previous year, or without the agreement of the other party.
  • Referred to the Senate Campaign & Election Oversight Committee on June 27, 2007.
    • Reported in the Senate on July 19, 2007, with the recommendation that the bill pass.
  • Amendment offered by Sen. Mark Schauer (D) on August 22, 2007, to allow no-reason absentee voting in Michigan elections. The amendment failed in the Senate (17 to 21) on August 22, 2007. [Vote Details and Comments]
  • Amendment offered by Sen. Gretchen Whitmer (D) on August 22, 2007, to repeal a law that requires a person to use the same address for voting registration and for his or her drivers license or state personal identification card. The amendment failed in the Senate (17 to 21) on August 22, 2007. [Vote Details and Comments]
  • Amendment offered by Sen. Cameron Brown (R) on August 22, 2007, to establish Jan. 15 as the date of the proposed presidential primary elections. The amendment passed in the Senate by voice vote on August 22, 2007.
• Passed in the Senate (21 to 17) on August 22, 2007, to set January 15 as the date for the 2008 presidential primary in Michigan (eliminating the statutory February statewide election day), and require presidential primary voters to declare their party in order to vote. This information would not be made available to the public at large, but only to the parties, who would be subject to some restrictions on how they could use it (they could not sell the lists). Also, to establish date ranges for future presidential primaries (sometime between the second Tuesday in January and the fourth Tuesday in February); and establish procedures by which Democratic and Republican party chairs would determine the date. The bill would not require either party to hold a primary. [Vote Details and Comments]
• Received in the House on August 22, 2007.
  • Referred to the House Ethics and Elections Committee on August 22, 2007.
  • Substitute offered by Rep. Ted Hammon (D) on August 30, 2007, to replace the previous version of the bill with one that does not require voters to declare a party. Legislators voted on this substitute knowing that a subsequent one canceling out the non-declaration provision was favored by the House majority leadership (and the minority leadership as well), and would be offered as soon as this vote was completed. The leadership has the power to "gavel through" a substitute it prefers without a roll call vote, which is just what happened after this vote. The substitute passed in the House (92 to 11) on August 30, 2007. [Vote Details and Comments]
  • Substitute offered by Rep. Paul Condino (D) on August 30, 2007, to replace the previous version of the bill with one that revises various details of the procedures specified for the parties related to holding a primary. This is one of several substitutes that reflect negotiations between the political parties on these details. The substitute passed in the House by voice vote on August 30, 2007.
  • Amendment offered by Rep. Chris Ward (R) on August 30, 2007, to require the parties to pay the state $1 each for the names of voters who requested to vote in their party's presidential primary election. The amendment passed in the House by voice vote on August 30, 2007.
  • Amendment offered by Rep. Chris Ward (R) on August 30, 2007, to establish that if only one person files for election as a party precinct delegate, the name need not appear on the ballot and the person is automatically elected. The amendment passed in the House by voice vote on August 30, 2007.
  • Amendment offered by Rep. Chris Ward (R) on August 30, 2007, to require a "do not contact" list that voters who request to vote in one or the other party's presidential primary election could sign up for when making that declaration. The parties would be prohibited from contacting the voter to promote candidates or for other party activities. Although the amendment was adopted, it was not included in the final substitute version of the bill that was voted on and passed. The amendment passed in the House by voice vote on August 30, 2007.
  • Amendment offered by Rep. Fred Miller (D) on August 30, 2007, to repeal the provision of state election law that requires a person to use the same address for voting registration and for his or her drivers license or state personal identification card. The amendment failed in the House (53 to 50) on August 30, 2007. [Vote Details and Comments]
  • Substitute offered by Rep. Paul Condino (D) on August 30, 2007, to replace the previous version of the bill with one that revises various details of the procedures specified for the parties related to holding a primary. This is one of several substitutes that reflect negotiations between the political parties on these details; see House-passed bill for the final version. The substitute passed in the House by voice vote on August 30, 2007.
  • Amendment offered by Rep. Fred Miller (D) on August 30, 2007, to allow "no reason" absentee voting. The amendment failed in the House (52 to 48) on August 30, 2007. [Vote Details and Comments]
• Passed in the House (67 to 34) on August 30, 2007, to set January 15 as the date for the 2008 presidential primary in Michigan, and require presidential primary voters to declare their party in order to vote. This information would not be made available to the public at large, but only to the parties, who would be subject to some restrictions on how they could use it (they could not sell the lists). Also, to establish date ranges for future presidential primaries (sometime between the second Tuesday in January and the fourth Tuesday in February); and establish procedures by which Democratic and Republican party chairs would determine the date. The bill would not require either party to hold a primary. [Vote Details and Comments]
• Received in the Senate on August 30, 2007, to concur with the House-passed version of the bill. Passed in the Senate (36 to 0) on August 30, 2007. [Vote Details and Comments]
• Signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm on September 3, 2007.