Election Integrity Act

A bill to secure the integrity of Michigan elections; to require strict photographic voter identification; to mandate hand-marked paper ballots as the official record; to establish rigorous absentee-ballot and chain-of-custody protections; to prohibit unsecured drop boxes and private funding of election administration; to require meaningful observer access and risk-limiting audits; to create investigatory commissions and an Election Crimes Task Force; to impose severe penalties and permanent disqualifications for election fraud; to maintain clean voter rolls; and to restore public trust that every legal vote is counted and no illegal vote is counted.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

Section 1. Short Title.

This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Michigan Election Integrity and Public Trust Restoration Act.”

Section 2. Legislative Findings.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) Free, fair, transparent, and auditable elections are the foundation of constitutional self-government.

(b) Every legal vote cast by an eligible Michigan citizen must be counted; no illegal or ineligible vote may be counted.

(c) Serious public concerns regarding procedural irregularities, chain-of-custody failures, unsecured drop boxes, observer access, and related issues in recent elections have eroded trust and must be addressed through strict prospective safeguards and thorough, evidence-based review.

(d) Election officials, vendors, and participants must be held to the highest standards of accountability under law.

(e) All provisions of this act shall be implemented consistent with the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Michigan, due process, and the requirement that criminal convictions rest on proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

Section 3. Definitions.

As used in this act:

(a) “Hand-marked paper ballot” means a physical ballot on which the voter personally marks selections and that produces a durable, voter-verifiable paper record capable of being recounted by hand.

(b) “Photographic identification” means a current government-issued photo ID meeting standards established by the Secretary of State that reliably verifies identity.

(c) “Unsecured drop box” means any ballot-collection container that is not under continuous, recorded human or electronic surveillance and physical custody by election officials.

Section 4. Strict Photographic Voter Identification.

(1) Every voter, whether voting in person or by absentee ballot, shall present or provide a copy of valid photographic identification.

(2) The State shall issue free photographic identification to any eligible citizen who lacks one and requests it for voting purposes.

(3) Provisional ballots may be cast by persons without immediate ID and shall be counted only upon timely verification of identity and eligibility.

Section 5. Paper Ballots and Voting-System Security.

(1) The official record of every vote shall be a hand-marked paper ballot.

(2) Internet-connected, wireless-capable, or remotely accessible voting or tabulation systems are prohibited for official use unless the system is fully air-gapped, produces a voter-verifiable paper record, and meets rigorous security certification standards adopted by the State.

(3) Any system that cannot be fully audited by hand recount of the paper record is prohibited for official tabulation.

Section 6. Voter Registration and Roll Maintenance.

(1) Voter registration shall close no later than thirty (30) days before each election. Same-day registration is prohibited.

(2) Election officials shall conduct mandatory annual maintenance of voter rolls, including cross-checks with state and federal databases, removal of deceased persons, persons who have moved out of state, and other ineligible registrants, consistent with the National Voter Registration Act and due-process notice requirements.

(3) Automatic voter-registration processes shall include robust citizenship and eligibility verification before a name is added to the official roll.

Section 7. Absentee Ballot Security and Chain of Custody.

(1) Absentee ballots shall be accepted only when accompanied by the required photographic-identification information and any witness or other verification required by law.

(2) All absentee ballots must be received by the close of polls on Election Day; postmarks alone are insufficient.

(3) Unsecured drop boxes are prohibited. Any ballot-collection location must maintain continuous chain-of-custody documentation and surveillance.

(4) Strict, contemporaneous chain-of-custody logs shall be maintained from the moment a ballot is received until final tabulation and shall be available for public inspection and audit.

Section 8. Observer Access, Audits, and Transparency.

(1) Credentialed poll watchers and challengers from opposing parties and interested candidates shall be granted meaningful access to observe all stages of ballot processing, duplication, and tabulation without obstruction.

(2) Risk-limiting audits shall be conducted on all statewide and federal races and on a statistically significant sample of other races after every election.

(3) Full forensic audits of ballots, machine logs, and chain-of-custody records shall be available upon petition by a candidate or by a sufficient number of electors demonstrating reasonable cause, subject to judicial oversight to protect ballot secrecy.

(4) Audit findings, redacted only as necessary to protect voter privacy, shall be made public promptly.

Section 9. Ban on Private Funding of Election Administration.

No state or local election official or agency may accept grants, funding, equipment, or in-kind support from private individuals, corporations, or non-governmental organizations for the administration of elections. All election-administration costs shall be borne by public funds appropriated through lawful governmental processes.

Section 10. Election Day as a State Holiday.

Election Day in even-numbered years is designated a state holiday. Non-essential state government offices shall be closed to facilitate in-person voting by public employees and the public.

Section 11. Independent Forensic Review Commission.

(1) An Independent Election Forensic Review Commission is established with subpoena power to examine Michigan election administration in 2020 and subsequent cycles, with particular attention to counties and processes that generated documented public concern. The Commission shall review ballot records, chain-of-custody documentation, machine logs, and voter-roll accuracy to the extent permitted by law.

(2) The Commission shall publicly release its findings and non-privileged underlying data and shall refer any evidence of criminal conduct to the Attorney General or appropriate prosecutors.

(3) Nothing in this section alters the finality of previously certified results except through the ordinary judicial and statutory remedies already provided by law.

Section 12. Election Crimes Task Force and Penalties.

(1) An Election Crimes Task Force is created within the Office of the Attorney General, working with county sheriffs and prosecutors, to investigate and prosecute election fraud, ballot harvesting in violation of law, illegal duplication, false statements by officials, and related offenses under existing Michigan law.

(2) Upon conviction of a felony election offense, the defendant shall be subject to the penalties provided by law, including mandatory minimum terms where the Legislature has so provided, and shall be permanently disqualified from serving as an election official, poll worker, vendor, or contractor in any Michigan election.

(3) Candidates and electors who suffer concrete injury from proven election misconduct may bring a private civil action for appropriate relief, including attorney fees for prevailing plaintiffs.

Section 13. Additional Long-Term Safeguards.

(1) Ranked-choice voting and expansive universal mail-in systems are prohibited unless every security measure required by this act is fully implemented and certified.

(2) Michigan shall cooperate with federal authorities on national election-security standards while vigorously asserting the State’s primary authority over the administration of its own elections.

Section 14. Public Reporting.

The Secretary of State, county clerks, the Forensic Review Commission, and the Election Crimes Task Force shall publish annual reports detailing compliance with this act, audit results, investigations opened, and prosecutions commenced.

Section 15. Severability.

If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act and the application of its provisions to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected.

Section 16. Effective Date.

This act takes effect 90 days after enactment. Voter-identification, paper-ballot, registration-deadline, drop-box, private-funding, and observer-access requirements shall apply to the first statewide election occurring more than 120 days after the effective date. The Forensic Review Commission and Election Crimes Task Force shall be operational within 90 days of the effective date.

Enacting Section.

This act is ordered to take immediate effect.

One legal citizen, one legal vote.

Transparent. Auditable. Secure.

Restore Trust. Secure Our Elections. Michigan First.