Sec. 679.

(1) The legislative body of a city or township, by resolution, may provide that for an election in a precinct of the city or township, there shall be an additional board of election inspectors, known as the counting board. The counting board must consist of 3 or more election inspectors. Sections 673a and 674 apply to the appointment of election inspectors to counting boards under this section. The counting board shall count the ballots cast in the precinct at an election and make a statement of returns of that count. The provisions of this chapter relative to the appointment, qualifications, privileges, powers, duties, and oaths of office of election inspectors apply to the members of a counting board, to the extent that they apply to the counting of the votes cast at and the making of the statement of returns of an election.

(2) In a precinct for which a counting board has been provided, the duties of the election inspectors who have conducted the election during the day cease on the closing of the polls and, upon the closing of the polls, the counting board assumes charge and control of the place of voting, the ballot boxes, the ballots, and all other equipment of the polling place and shall proceed with the counting of votes. The counting board shall perform all duties required by this act to be performed after the closing of the polls at an election by the board of election inspectors in a precinct that does not have a counting board, as provided in this section.

(3) Section 662 applies to the designation and prescribing of the place or places in which the counting board performs its duties under this section.

History: 1954, Act 116, Eff. June 1, 1955 ;-- Am. 1995, Act 261, Eff. Mar. 28, 1996 ;-- Am. 1996, Act 583, Eff. Mar. 31, 1997 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 120, Eff. Dec. 31, 2018 Popular Name: Election Code