HB 6525 Summary

• Requires city and township clerks to send absent voter ballot applications and postage-prepaid return envelopes to all registered electors at least 75 days before each election.

• Establishes new procedures for rejected absent voter ballots, allowing electors to cure signature mismatches or missing signatures by submitting verification statements by the third day before election certification.

• Permits absent voter counting boards to open, process, and tabulate ballots up to 5 days before election day (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), with ballots counted after polls close and results withheld until election day.

• Extends absent voter ballot receipt deadline from close of polls to 48 hours after 8 p.m. on election day if ballots are postmarked by election day; requires state reimbursement to cities and townships for prepaid postage costs.

• Modifies precinct division rules to allow use of either active registered electors only or combined active and inactive electors (excluding permanent absent voter list members) when calculating precinct size thresholds.