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HB 4588

Elections: school; school district board member candidates; require to have a partisan affiliation. Amends secs. 303, 697 & 699 of 1954 PA 116 (MCL 168.303 et seq.).

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Matt Maddock and 2 co-sponsors

HB 4588 (H-1) requires local school district board candidates to run partisan, with party on August primaries and partisan ballot placement; other districts stay nonpartisan.

referred to second reading
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Bill Summary · HB 4588

Summary — HB 4588 (Substitute H-1)

Sponsor: Rep. Jason Woolford
Subject: Elections / Education — partisan designation for local school district board candidates
Introduced: (filed) March 12, 2025; (House intro packet) June 10, 2025
Current status: Reported with substitute (H‑1) 10/28/2025; referred to second reading

Main purpose

HB 4588 would amend the Michigan Election Law to require that candidates for school board member of a local school district run as partisan candidates (identified by political party) rather than as nonpartisan candidates. The bill also makes related changes to nomination, primary, and ballot placement rules.

Key provisions

  • Partisan designation

    • Candidates for school board member of a local school district must have a partisan nominating petition and appear under a party heading on the August primary ballot.
    • Other types of school districts (i.e., school districts other than a “local school district,” as defined in MCL 380.6) remain nonpartisan.
    • The nominating petition form must include the phrase “and candidate of the ___________ party” in the opening paragraph for local school district candidates.

  • Nomination and filing rules (applies to school board candidates generally)

    • Filing deadline: candidate must file a nominating petition and the required affidavit with the school district filing official by 4:00 p.m. on the fifteenth Tuesday before the election (or before the August primary for local school district partisan candidates).
    • Signature requirements:
    • District population < 10,000: minimum 6 and maximum 20 signatures.
    • District population ≥ 10,000: minimum 40 and maximum 100 signatures.
    • Filing fee alternative: a nonrefundable $100 filing fee may be paid in lieu of petitions.
    • Withdrawal: written withdrawal must be filed by 4:00 p.m. on the third day after the last filing day.

  • Ballot placement and primaries

    • The bill adds local school district board member candidacies to the list of partisan offices eligible to appear on the August primary ballot.
    • Adjusts ballot ordering language so local school district board member offices are placed with other partisan offices on the general election ballot, and removes them from the nonpartisan portion of regular elections.

  • Petition integrity and penalties

    • Maintains rules and penalties for improper petition signatures and circulator misconduct (misdemeanors and, for signing multiple names, a felony).
    • Petitions remain subject to the existing sufficiency and signature verification procedures.

Who is affected

  • Candidates for local school district school boards: must declare party affiliation and pursue partisan nomination.
  • Voters in local school districts: will see school board races listed under party headings in August primaries and as partisan offices on November ballots.
  • Local election administrators and clerks: may need to adjust forms, ballot layouts, and primary administration; nominal reprinting or administrative costs possible.
  • Non‑local school districts and their candidates: largely unaffected; remain nonpartisan.

Fiscal and administrative impact

  • House Fiscal Agency estimates no state fiscal impact.
  • Potential nominal costs to local clerks for reprinting nominating petitions or other forms and modest administrative adjustments.

Procedural notes / timeline

  • Substitute H‑1 makes the primary change that local (only) school district board races become partisan; other school districts remain nonpartisan.
  • As of 10/28/2025 the bill was reported with the H‑1 substitute and referred to second reading in the House. Further committee or floor action would be required for enactment.

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

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