PRECINCT DELEGATE FILING DEADLINE

Precinct delegate candidates are required to file an Affidavit of Identity to gain ballot access; petition signatures are not required.

Precinct delegate candidates are permitted to file with the clerk of their county, city or township of residence.

The precinct delegate filing deadline elapses at 4:00 p.m. on May 16, 2006 -- the same filing deadline imposed on all other partisan candidates.

Michigan election law stipulates that a precinct delegate candidate must be ?a qualified and registered elector residing within, as well as having his or her actual bona fide residence within, the election precinct for which he or she desires to become a candidate on the filing deadline.? With respect to the age qualification, this means that a precinct delegate candidate must be at least 18 years of age by May 16, 2006.

The three vote minimum formerly imposed on precinct delegate candidates was eliminated. With the elimination of the three vote minimum, a precinct delegate can now be elected with a single vote.

Anyone who wishes to seek a precinct delegate position with write-in votes must file a Declaration of Intent with the city or township clerk by 4:00 p.m. on the Friday preceding the August 8, 2006 primary. As an alternative, such candidates may file a Declaration of Intent with the appropriate precinct board on the day of the August primary anytime prior to the close of the polls.

Candidate qualifications and allowances: A precinct delegate candidate must be at least 18 years of age by the May 16, 2006 filing deadline and must be ?a qualified and registered elector residing within, as well as having his or her actual bona fide residence within, the election precinct for which he or she desires to become a candidate (MCL 168.624)

A precinct delegate candidate may hold or seek any other public office in Michigan. Consequently, a precinct delegate candidate may appear as a candidate for another office on the August 8, 2006 primary ballot.

While a precinct delegate candidate may not serve as an election inspector in the precinct in which he or she resides, a precinct delegate candidate may serve as an election inspector in any other precinct in the county. (MCL 168.677)

Filing requirements: A person who wishes to seek a precinct delegate position must file an Affidavit of Identity (in duplicate) with the clerk of his or her county, city or township of residence. Petition signatures are not required. To facilitate the precinct delegate candidate filing process, an Affidavit of Identity designed exclusively for use by precinct delegate candidates has been developed by the Department of State's Bureau of Elections. (A copy of the most recent revision of the form is provided with this newsletter.) The form is available through commercial vendors. It merits note that the availability of the precinct delegate Affidavit of Identity form does not preclude a precinct delegate candidate from filing with the standard Affidavit of Identity form.

The deadline for filing an Affidavit of Identity for a precinct delegate position is 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16, 2006. (MCL 168.624)

August 8 Primary election conducted. Candidates elected to precinct delegate positions are certified to the county clerk by the precinct board responsible for counting the ballots. (MCL 168.625)