State Rep. Jennifer Wortz today celebrated the successful House vote on her plan to ensure that qualified individuals are selected to administer local elections. 

House Bill 5717, introduced by Wortz, would require a township board to contract with a nearby individual who is accredited to conduct elections if the township clerk and all deputy township clerks are unavailable to carry out election-related duties. Under current law, township boards could appoint any eligible voter from the township to perform those responsibilities.  

“Instead of relying on emergency appointments, I’m making sure that trained and accredited election officials can temporarily manage critical election duties,” said Wortz (R-Quincy). “This is common sense. My bill provides a practical solution that prioritizes professionalism, transparency, and uninterrupted service to voters.” 

The contracted individual would temporarily carry out election-related functions with the same authority as a deputy clerk until the township clerk returns, or a new clerk is appointed or elected. The bill would also require the individual to provide reports at each regularly scheduled township board meeting detailing the duties they performed while serving in the role. 

“These are very serious responsibilities,” Wortz said. “These people will be handling voter registrations, nominations, and the electoral process. All Michiganders deserve to have their local elections operate with competency and security. These election workers need to be qualified, and this bill helps put those guardrails in place. I was glad to see overwhelming bipartisan support for this effort.” 

The bill now heads to the Senate for further consideration.