By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Michigan's election process changed more in the past nine years than in the previous 20, as voters may realize when they head to the polls Tuesday for the second of four 2005 balloting dates.
Changes were meant to address complaints of too many expensive elections with low voter turnout.
Consolidation also aimed at voting at the same place for all elections, and standardizing the way elections are run.
As 22-year City Clerk James Snow told Dowagiac Rotary Club Thursday noon at Elks Lodge 889, Michigan was already ahead of other states by grouping voter registration in the Secretary of State's Office along with driver licenses, vehicle titles and vehicle registration.
In states such as Texas where those functions were divided among different departments, Snow said there were problems getting cooperation for voter registration.
What happened nine years ago was the 1996 advent of QVF, or Qualified Voter File, a statewide voter registration database.
Snow, past president of the Michigan Municipal Clerks Association as well as past Rotary president, today has access to the file of each Michigan registered voter as the database is reconciled in Lansing each night.
The 2000 presidential election, particularly the fiasco in Florida with hanging, dimpled and pregnant chad that had to be decided by the Supreme Court, focused nationwide attention that resulted in passage of federal legislation.
A new type of optical scan voting system was contained in that legislation, including money to purchase the equipment.
Dowagiac voters began using an optical scan system in 1996, when QVF began.
Election consolidation refers to a nine-bill package the governor signed on Jan. 8, 2004, and several follow-up measures.
That package took effect Jan. 1, 2005, implementing sweeping changes in Michigan's election process at the same time at the local level that new Cass County Clerk-Register Barbara Wilson of Dowagiac was making the transition after Ann Simmons retired.
The conduct of federal, state, county, township, village and school elections will be restricted to four dates each year: the fourth Tuesday in February, when Cass County defeated Lewis Cass Intermediate School District's millage request; the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May, which is Tuesday's school election that used to take place in June; the first Tuesday after the first Monday in August; and the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
A resolution as to the date of election had to be selected by Dec. 31, 2004.
A "floater date" was extended to school districts, intermediate school districts (ISDs) and community college districts which may call a special election to submit a ballot question to "borrow money, increase a millage or establish a bond" if an initiative petition with signatures of at least 3,000 voters who reside with the district or, if a lesser amount, 10 percent of the district's voters who voted in the last gubernatorial election.
Establishing "fixed" election dates each year eliminated the county Election Scheduling Committee.
All school district, ISD and community college district elections are now administered by Michigan county, city and township clerks.
School board secretaries and school district personnel no longer play a role in administering school elections.
Another provision establishes a school district election coordinating committee and school district election coordinator. The Cass County coordinator is Clerk-Register Barbara Wilson.
The coordinating committee is composed of the clerk of each city or township in which the school district territory is located and the secretary of the Board of Education or a designee. The same requirements apply for ISDs and community colleges.
The coordinating committee selected LaGrange Township Clerk Amy Juroff for the Cassopolis Public Schools, Snow for Dowagiac Union Schools; Ontwa Township Clerk Helen Parsons for Edwardsburg and Marcellus Township Clerk Ann Webb for Marcellus.
The veteran clerk then shared some "JST" - Jim Snow theory. "This is my 22nd year in this election business and, talking to (Superintendent of Schools) Larry Crandall, we have never had a problem. We have shared equipment, workers, etc., and have had accurate elections.
Snow added that he "will not be surprised" if House Bill 4569, which cleared the House the previous Thursday, passes the Senate this session.