Sec. 761d.
(1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection and subsection (2), if an absent voter ballot drop box was ordered or installed in a city or township before October 1, 2020, that absent voter ballot drop box is exempt from the requirements of this section. Subsection (5) applies to an absent voter ballot drop box described in this subsection.
(2) If an absent voter ballot drop box was ordered, but not installed in, a city or township before October 1, 2020, the clerk of that city or township must make every reasonable effort to have that absent voter ballot drop box comply with the requirements of this section.
(3) An absent voter ballot drop box must meet all of the following requirements:
(a) Be clearly labeled as an absent voter ballot drop box.
(b) Whether located indoors or outdoors, be securely locked and be designed to prevent the removal of absent voter ballots when locked.
(c) If located in an area that is not continuously staffed, be secured to prevent the removal of the absent voter ballot drop box from its location.
(4) If an absent voter ballot drop box is located outdoors, all of the following apply:
(a) The drop box must be securely locked and bolted to the ground or to another stationary object.
(b) The drop box must be equipped with a single slot or mailbox-style lever to allow absent voter ballot return envelopes to be placed in the drop box, and all other openings on the drop box must be securely locked.
(c) The city or township clerk must use video monitoring of that drop box to ensure effective monitoring of that drop box.
(d) The drop box must be in a public, well-lit area with good visibility.
(e) The city or township clerk must immediately report to local law enforcement any vandalism involving the drop box or any suspicious activity occurring in the immediate vicinity of the drop box.
(5) Only a city or township clerk, his or her deputy clerk, or a sworn member of his or her staff, is authorized to collect absent voter ballots from an absent voter ballot drop box.
History: Add. 2020, Act 177, Imd. Eff. Oct. 6, 2020
Popular Name: Election Code