Senate Bill 978 Summary

• Replaces terminology of "officer" with "filing official" throughout the affidavit of identity requirements for candidates filing for federal, state, county, city, township, village, metropolitan district, or school district offices.

• Requires candidates to disclose every jurisdiction in this state where they previously sought nomination or election on their affidavit of identity, except for jurisdictions involving offices not requiring campaign finance reporting under the Michigan campaign finance act.

• Changes the affidavit of identity compliance statement from "signed and notarized" to a "compliance statement" and clarifies that an outstanding notice of error or omission does not constitute an unfiled statement, report, or unpaid fee for purposes of candidate disqualification.

• Establishes new procedures for candidate disqualification, including provisions for correcting omissions before the filing deadline, disqualifying candidates who provide false information, and requiring filing officials to examine campaign finance records to verify campaign finance compliance claims.

• Removes the previous restriction preventing certification of candidates who execute affidavits containing false statements, replacing it with detailed disqualification procedures that specify when candidates cannot reverse disqualification through amended filings.