§ 168.696Printing name of candidate for federal, state, district, county, and township

offices on 1 ballot; placement; filing request for clarifying designation of same or similar
 surnames; notice of determination; appeal; printing occupation, date of birth, or
 residence of candidate; incumbency designation; guidelines.
 Sec. 696.
    (1) The board of election commissioners in each county shall have the name of each
 candidate for federal, state, district, county, and township offices at an election printed on 1
 ballot, separate from any other ballot. The name of each candidate of each political party must
 be placed under the name of the office for which the candidate was certified to have been
 nominated along with the political party name under the candidate's name.
    (2) If, in a district that is a county or entirely within 1 county, 2 or more candidates
 nominated by the same political party or by different political parties for the same office, or
 nonpartisan candidates for the same office, have the same or similar surnames, a candidate
 may file a written request with the board of county election commissioners for a clarifying
 designation. The request must be filed not later than 3 days after the certification of the
 relevant candidates. Not later than 3 days after the filing of the request, the board of county
 election commissioners shall determine whether a similarity exists and whether a clarifying
 designation should be granted. In a district located in more than 1 county, the board of state
 canvassers shall make a determination whether to grant a clarifying designation upon the
 written request of a candidate who is certified by the secretary of state. The request must be
 filed with the board of state canvassers not later than 3 days after the board of state canvassers
 completes the canvass of the primary election in compliance with section 581 and the
 certification of nominees in compliance with section 687. The board of state canvassers shall
 make its determination not later than 3 days after the request is filed.
    (3) In each instance, the determining board shall immediately notify each candidate for the
 same office as the requester that a request for a clarifying designation has been made and of
 the date, time, and place of the hearing. The requester and each candidate for the same office
 must be notified of the board's determination by first-class mail sent within 24 hours after the
 final date for the determination. A candidate who is dissatisfied with the determination of the
 board of county election commissioners may file an appeal in the circuit court of the county
 where the board is located. A candidate who is dissatisfied with the determination of the board
 of state canvassers may file an appeal in the Ingham County circuit court. The appeal must be
 filed within 14 days after the final date for determination by the board. The court shall hear the
 matter de novo. Except as provided in subsection (4), in the case of the same surname or of a
 final determination by the board or by the court before the latest date that the board can
 arrange for the ballot printing of the existence of similarity, the board shall print the
 occupation, date of birth, or residence of each of the candidates having the same or similar
 surnames on the ballot or ballot labels or slips to be placed on the voting machine, when used,
 under their respective names. The request may not be made by a candidate of a political party
 whose candidate for secretary of state received less than 10% of the total vote cast in the state
 for all candidates for secretary of state in the most recent November election in which a
 secretary of state was elected. As used in this subsection, "occupation" includes a currently
 held political office, even though it is not the candidate's principal occupation, but does not
 include reference to a previous position or occupation.
    (4) If there are 2 candidates with the same or similar surnames and 1 of the candidates is
 entitled to an incumbency designation by section 24 of article VI of the state constitution of



                                                               Michigan Compiled Laws Complete Through PA 9 of 2026
Rendered Thursday, April 30, 2026          Page 305 of 478                             Courtesy of legislature.mi.gov

 1963, no other designation shall be provided for the other candidate with the same or similar
 surname. If there are more than 2 candidates with the same or similar surname and 1 of the
 candidates is entitled to an incumbency designation by section 24 of article VI of the state
 constitution of 1963, a clarifying designation may be given to the other candidates with the
 same or similar surname. Except for an incumbency designation under section 24 of article VI
 of the state constitution of 1963, if 2 or more candidates with the same or similar surnames are
 related, the board shall only print the residence or date of birth of each of the candidates as a
 clarifying designation. As used in this subsection, "related" means that the candidates with the
 same or similar surnames are related within the third degree of consanguinity.
    (5) The board of state canvassers shall issue guidelines to ensure fairness and uniformity in
 the granting of designations and may issue guidelines relating to what constitutes the same or
 similar surnames. The board of state canvassers and the boards of county election
 commissioners shall follow the guidelines.