Michigan Administrative Code
Department - State
Elections & Campaign Finance
Signature Matching for Absent Voter Ballot Applications and Absent Voter Ballot Envelopes
Section R. 168.21 - Definitions
Current through Vol. 24-16, September 15, 2024
Rule 1. As used in these rules:
(a) "Election official" means the township, city, or county clerk or their staff responsible for verifying signatures.
(b) "Master card" means the master card document referenced in 761(2), 1954 PA 116, MCL 168.761, and 766(2), 1954 PA 116, MCL 168.766.
(c) "Qualified voter file" means the voter registration database maintained by the Secretary of State.
(d) "Signature on file" means the signature of the voter contained in the qualified voter file. If the qualified voter file does not contain the voter's digitized signature, the signature of the voter contained on the master card is the signature on file. If an absent voter ballot application signature has been compared against the signature of the voter contained in the qualified voter file or on the master card and the absent voter ballot application signature has been determined to agree sufficiently with the signature of the voter contained in the qualified voter file or on the master card, the absent voter ballot application signature is also a "signature on file" for the purpose of this ruleset. Nothing in this ruleset shall be construed to allow an absent voter ballot application signature to be used to validate an absent voter ballot envelope signature unless the absent voter ballot application signature has been found to agree sufficiently with the signature of the voter contained in the qualified voter file or on the master card.
