Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 2018.10.10 - 23828MISCELLANEOUS RESOLUTION ..#18353 BY: Commissioners Tom Berman, District #5; Nancy Quarles, District #17; Adam Kochenderfer, District #15; Marcia Gershenson, District #13 IN RE: BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS — REQUEST THE MICHIGAN LEGISLATURE REINSTATE POLITICAL PARTY LOGONIGNETTES ON ELECTION BALLOTS To the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen: WHEREAS party vignettes began appearing on Michigan ballots back in the 1890s and were a tool for helping voters identify candidates by their party affiliation; and WHEREAS a change in Michigan law in 2017 required the removal of political party logos/vignettes from ballots in conjunction with the repeal of straight party voting; and WHEREAS in adopting this change in the law, lawmakers cited that these logos can cause confusion for the voter, that their elimination would shorten Michigan's often lengthy ballot, and that logos would no longer be necessary with the elimination of straight party voting; and WHEREAS opponents to the removal of party logos/vignettes raised concerns regarding the disproportionate impact this change could have on voters, particularly those with limited literacy or various disabilities; and WHEREAS the Oakland County Board of Commissioners created a bi-partisan committee to conduct an in-depth assessment of the elections system infrastructure, processes and procedures relative to Oakland County's ability to manage historically high levels of voter turnout experienced during the August 7, 2018 Primary Election; and WHEREAS the Ad Hoc Committee on Election Infrastructure sought and received input from election administrators, voters and other interested parties to gain a comprehensive understanding of the issues and consider recommendations for improvements to the Oakland County election system; and WHEREAS the Committee received surveys from 48 local municipal clerks, 166 precinct election workers and 33 voters impacted by the events on Election Day, The Committee also received feedback from county election officials, additional local election administrators and the public during two public forums; and WHEREAS the Ad Hoc Committee utilized these valuable insights combined with data from the election to provide the Board of Commissioners with a series of recommendations to improve the functionality of our elections system and the availability of ballots for all voters; and WHEREAS the Committee identified the unusually high number of spoiled ballots cast in the August 7, 2018 Primary Election as a significant problem in need of appropriate solutions; and WHEREAS while the typical number of spoiled ballots cast in a primary election is reported to be approximately 2%, some precincts had spoilage rates as high as 22% in the August election; and WHEREAS in some precincts individual voters spoiled multiple ballots prior to casting a final vote; and WHEREAS the Committee sought input during the process of conducting their review regarding the cause of this surge in spoiled ballots; and WHEREAS local election administrators identified the removal of party logo/vignettes as a significant barrier for low literacy voters in their communities; and WHEREAS additional local election administrators identified the change in ballot design as source of confusion for many voters that have become accustomed to the long-standing tradition of voting within the party column by logo; and WHEREAS the Board of Commissioners supports meaningful measures that ensure all voters will have access to a ballot and their votes will be counted. We urge the Michigan Legislature to take action prior to the next federal primary election to reinstate political party logos/vignettes to the ballot. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners calls upon the Michigan Legislature to amend the Michigan Election Law to reinstate the inclusion of political party logos/ vignettes on election ballots. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds is requested to forward copies of this adopted resolution to the Governor of the State of Michigan, the Lieutenant Governor of the State of Michigan, the Speaker of the House for the Michigan House of Representatives, the Michigan Senate Majority Leader, the Michigan Secretary of State, the members of the Oakland County delegation to the Michigan Legislature, the members of the Michigan House Elections and Ethics Committee, the members of the Michigan Senate Elections and Government Reform Committee, the members of the Oakland County Board of County Election Commissioners, the Oakland County Director of Elections and the President of the Oakland County Clerks Association. Chairperson, we move the adoption of the foregoing Resolution. omm. one Nancy Quarles Distikt #17 it4 Commissioner Marcial Gershenson Comnni District # /41.61/1_44 Lit Commissioner District # ./K.& Commissioner District # Commissioner District # .7.)f Com Issioner Distri t # 61 Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Resolution #18353 October 10, 2018 The Chairperson referred the resolution to the General Government Committee. There were no objections.