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House advances change to municipal office assumption date to ensure overseas ballots counted
Summary
The Michigan House passed House Bill 4358 to move the effective date before local officials assume office so ballots mailed by service members and overseas voters and received shortly after Election Day can be counted first; the bill passed unanimously and immediate effect was ordered.
Representative Hoadley, speaking on the House floor, urged passage of a package of bills and described House Bill 4358 as a “technical fix” to ensure votes cast by service members and overseas voters are counted before local winners assume office.
Hoadley said Michigan voters approved Proposal 2 in 2022, which expanded early voting and no‑reason absentee voting and allowed ballots postmarked by election day to be counted if received within six days after the election. He said the change created the possibility that local officials could take office before those ballots were counted and described HB 4358 as moving the date from Nov. 20 to Dec. 1 for certain offices so “all votes are counted before a city, village, or township winning candidate can assume his office.”
A record roll‑call vote was held. The clerk announced 105 aye votes and 0 nay votes; the bill passed. The majority floor leader then moved for immediate effect, the House ordered immediate effect and the bill took effect on an expedited timetable.
The bill was presented as a timing and administrative change tied to the 2022 constitutional amendment (Proposal 2). No amendments were recorded during the floor discussion on the bill before its third‑reading passage.
The House debate and vote occurred on the floor during the session in which the bill was taken up for third reading and placed on immediate passage.
