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HB 5574

Elections: petitions; duties of the secretary of state and the board of state canvassers regarding ballot initiative and constitutional amendment petitions; modify. Amends secs. 474a, 475, 478, 480, 481 & 485 of 1954 PA 116 (MCL 168.474a et seq.) & repeals sec. 709 of 1954 PA 116.

2023-2024 Regular Session Introduced by Joey Andrews and 16 co-sponsors

Standardizes and increases transparency for statewide ballot questions in Michigan by tightening filing, posting timelines, and preventing post-filing signature additions.

assigned PA 234'24
#elections:constitutionalamendments #elections:electionofficials #elections:initiativeandreferendum #elections:petitions #stateagencies(existing):state
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Bill Summary · HB 5574

Summary — HB 5574 (Enrolled House Bill No. 5574 / PA 234 of 2024)

Status: Enacted (Public Act 234, 2024). Approved by Governor Jan 17, 2025. Effective date: April 2, 2025.
Subject areas: Elections — petitions, ballot questions, election officials, initiative/referendum process.

Main purpose

HB 5574 amends provisions of the Michigan Election Law that govern how statewide ballot questions (constitutional amendments, initiated laws, and referenda) are filed, identified, posted, and distributed. The bill increases transparency about petition filings, updates deadlines and formatting/printing procedures for ballot questions, adjusts ballot-question numbering, and repeals an old statutory distribution requirement.

Key provisions and changes

  • Amends sections 168.474a, 168.475, 168.478, 168.480, 168.481, and 168.485 of the Michigan Election Law.
  • Ballot-question numbering (sec. 474a):
    • Number designations must be 5 or 6 digits.
    • First four digits must be the year of the election; subsequent digit(s) indicate chronological filing order. Adds -P or -S suffix for primary/special elections.
    • Assignments must occur at least 60 days before the election.
  • Secretary of State (SOS) website postings (sec. 475):
    • After final submission of a petition as to form, SOS must notify the Board of State Canvassers and within 2 business days post the proposed amendment/initiated law/referendum and the filing date on the Department of State website.
    • After signatures are filed, SOS must not accept additional signature filings to supplement the original filing.
    • On the first business day of every month after filing, SOS must post a status update for that petition (more frequent updates permitted).
  • Notice to petition filers (sec. 478):
    • Petitioners may request and must be sent prompt official notice of the Board’s sufficiency determination.
  • Pre-election certification and distribution (sec. 480 & 481):
    • SOS must certify the Board-approved statement of purpose to county clerks at least 60 days before the election and furnish one copy of the text and statement per precinct to local clerks. County/township clerks must provide the copy to precinct election inspectors for posting at polling places.
  • Repeal (enacting section): Section 709 (MCL 168.709) of the election law is repealed (this section previously governed certain summary distribution duties for SOS/county clerks).

Who is affected

  • Petition sponsors and circulators (procedural/filing rules and notice rights).
  • Secretary of State and Board of State Canvassers (posting, notification, and certification duties).
  • County, city, and township clerks and precinct election inspectors (receipt/distribution and posting of text/statements).
  • Voters and the general public (increased online transparency about petition status and filings).

Procedural/timeline aspects

  • Petition filings are publicly posted quickly (2 business days) and then updated monthly (or more often) by SOS.
  • Ballot question identifiers are standardized with a 60-day pre-election assignment and a four-digit year prefix.
  • Once signatures are filed, no supplemental signature submissions are allowed.

Fiscal and other impacts

  • The bill aims to increase transparency; SOS will have ongoing website-posting responsibilities (likely absorbable within department operations).
  • Committee analyses of related petition-package bills noted indeterminate fiscal impacts across the package (e.g., possible savings from fewer manual reviews, but potential costs if other bills expand referrals/investigations). HB 5574 itself primarily changes administrative posting and distribution requirements.

Legislative history (selected)

  • Introduced: Mar 13–14, 2024 (Rep. Joey Andrews).
  • Passed House: June 26, 2024. Passed Senate: Dec 19, 2024. Enrolled and presented to Governor; approved Jan 17, 2025. Assigned PA 234'24. Effective Apr 2, 2025.

Note: HB 5574 was considered alongside a package of bills (HBs 5571–5576) addressing broader petition and canvass procedures; several related provisions (e.g., random sampling, signature referrals) appear in companion bills rather than in HB 5574’s final text.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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