Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Minnesota House Bill HF2003 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1.1 A bill for an act
2	2	1.2 proposing a constitutional amendment to article VII, section 1; allowing political
3	3	1.3 subdivisions to lower the voting age to 16 for local elections; making conforming
4	4	1.4 changes; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 201.014, subdivision 1;
5	5	1.5 201.071, subdivision 1; 203B.21, subdivision 3; 204C.10; proposing coding for
6	6	1.6 new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 201.
7	7	1.7BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
8	8	1.8 ARTICLE 1
9	9	1.9 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
10	10	1.10 Section 1. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROPOSED.
11	11	1.11 An amendment to the Minnesota Constitution is proposed to the people. If the amendment
12	12	1.12is adopted, article VII, section 1, will read:
13	13	1.13 Section 1. Every person 18 years of age or more who has been a citizen of the United
14	14	1.14States for three months and who has resided in the precinct for 30 days next preceding an
15	15	1.15election shall be entitled to vote in that precinct. A county, municipality, or school district
16	16	1.16may lower the voting age to 16 years of age for local elections but must not amend any
17	17	1.17other voter eligibility requirements. The place of voting by one otherwise qualified who
18	18	1.18has changed his residence within 30 days preceding the election shall be prescribed by law.
19	19	1.19The following persons shall not be entitled or permitted to vote at any election in this state:
20	20	1.20A person not meeting the above requirements; a person who has been convicted of treason
21	21	1.21or felony, unless restored to civil rights; a person under guardianship, or a person who is
22	22	1.22insane or not mentally competent.
23	23	1Article 1 Section 1.
24	24	REVISOR JFK/VJ 25-0197602/03/25
25	25	State of Minnesota
26	26	This Document can be made available
27	27	in alternative formats upon request
28	28	HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
29	29	H. F. No. 2003
30	30	NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
31	31	Authored by Sencer-Mura and Greenman03/06/2025
32	32	The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Elections Finance and Government Operations 2.1 Sec. 2. SUBMISSION TO VOTERS.
33	33	2.2 The proposed amendment must be submitted to the people at the 2026 general election.
34	34	2.3The question submitted must be:
35	35	2.4 "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to allow political subdivisions to lower
36	36	2.5the voting age to 16 years of age for local elections?
37	37	2.6 Yes ...................
38	38	"2.7 No ....................
39	39	2.8 ARTICLE 2
40	40	2.9 CONFORMING CHANGES
41	41	2.10 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 201.014, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
42	42	2.11 Subdivision 1.Requirements.Except as provided in subdivision 2, an individual who
43	43	2.12meets the following requirements at the time of an election is eligible to vote. The individual
44	44	2.13must:
45	45	2.14 (1) be 18 years of age or older or be 16 years of age or older to vote in a local election
46	46	2.15as provided in section 201.017;
47	47	2.16 (2) be a citizen of the United States; and
48	48	2.17 (3) maintain residence in Minnesota for 20 days immediately preceding the election.
49	49	2.18 Sec. 2. [201.017] VOTING AGE FOR COUNTY, SCHOOL, OR MUNICIPAL
50	50	2.19ELECTIONS.
51	51	2.20 The governing body of a county, municipality, or school district may adopt a resolution
52	52	2.21that allows a person 16 years old on or before election day to vote in elections held by the
53	53	2.22jurisdiction that adopted the resolution. The voter must satisfy all other voter eligibility
54	54	2.23requirements. A person under the age of 18 may only vote for offices and ballot questions
55	55	2.24for the jurisdiction that has adopted the lower voting age. A person under the age of 18 must
56	56	2.25not be allowed to vote for any state or federal office or state ballot question. The ballot
57	57	2.26provided to an individual authorized to vote under this section must be prepared so that the
58	58	2.27individual may vote only for local offices or questions where the voter is authorized to vote.
59	59	2.28 Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 201.071, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
60	60	2.29 Subdivision 1.Form.Both paper and electronic voter registration applications must
61	61	2.30contain the same information unless otherwise provided by law. A voter registration
62	62	2Article 2 Sec. 3.
63	63	REVISOR JFK/VJ 25-0197602/03/25 3.1application must contain spaces for the following required information: voter's first name,
64	64	3.2middle name, and last name; voter's previous name, if any; voter's current address; voter's
65	65	3.3previous address, if any; voter's date of birth; voter's municipality and county of residence;
66	66	3.4voter's telephone number, if provided by the voter; date of registration; current and valid
67	67	3.5Minnesota driver's license number or Minnesota state identification number, or if the voter
68	68	3.6has no current and valid Minnesota driver's license or Minnesota state identification, the
69	69	3.7last four digits of the voter's Social Security number; a box to indicate a voter's preference
70	70	3.8to join the permanent absentee voter list; and voter's signature. The paper registration
71	71	3.9application must provide a space for a voter to provide a physical description of the location
72	72	3.10of their residence, if the voter resides in an area lacking a specific physical address. The
73	73	3.11description must be sufficient for the county auditor to identify the correct precinct for the
74	74	3.12voter. The description may include the closest cross street or the nearest address to the
75	75	3.13described location that is identified on a precinct map, and directions from that cross street
76	76	3.14or address to the described location, including but not limited to the cardinal direction and
77	77	3.15approximate distance to the location. The paper registration application may include the
78	78	3.16voter's email address, if provided by the voter. The electronic voter registration application
79	79	3.17must include the voter's email address. The registration application may include the voter's
80	80	3.18interest in serving as an election judge, if indicated by the voter. The application must also
81	81	3.19contain the following certification of voter eligibility:
82	82	3.20 "I certify that I:
83	83	3.21 (1) am at least 16 years old and understand that I must be at least 18 years old to be
84	84	3.22eligible to vote or be at least 16 years old on election day to vote in a local election as
85	85	3.23provided in Minnesota Statutes, section 201.017;
86	86	3.24 (2) am a citizen of the United States;
87	87	3.25 (3) will have maintained residence in Minnesota for 20 days immediately preceding
88	88	3.26election day;
89	89	3.27 (4) maintain residence at the address or location given on the registration form;
90	90	3.28 (5) am not under court-ordered guardianship in which the court order revokes my right
91	91	3.29to vote;
92	92	3.30 (6) have not been found by a court to be legally incompetent to vote;
93	93	3.31 (7) am not currently incarcerated for a conviction of a felony offense; and
94	94	3Article 2 Sec. 3.
95	95	REVISOR JFK/VJ 25-0197602/03/25 4.1 (8) have read and understand the following statement: that giving false information is a
96	96	4.2felony punishable by not more than five years imprisonment or a fine of not more than
97	97	4.3$10,000, or both."
98	98	4.4 The certification must include boxes for the voter to respond to the following questions:
99	99	4.5 "(1) Are you a citizen of the United States?" and
100	100	4.6 "(2) Are you at least 16 years old and will you be at least 18 years old on or before the
101	101	4.7day of the election in which you intend to vote or will you be at least 16 years old on or
102	102	4.8before election day to vote in a local election as provided in Minnesota Statutes, section
103	103	4.9201.017?"
104	104	4.10 And the instruction:
105	105	4.11 "If you checked 'no' to either of these questions, do not complete this form."
106	106	4.12 The form of the voter registration application and the certification of voter eligibility
107	107	4.13must be as provided in this subdivision and approved by the secretary of state. Voter
108	108	4.14registration forms authorized by the National Voter Registration Act must also be accepted
109	109	4.15as valid. The federal postcard application form must also be accepted as valid if it is not
110	110	4.16deficient and the voter is eligible to register in Minnesota.
111	111	4.17 An individual may use a voter registration application to apply to register to vote in
112	112	4.18Minnesota or to change information on an existing registration.
113	113	4.19 Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 203B.21, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
114	114	4.20 Subd. 3.Back of signature envelope.On the back of the signature envelope a certificate
115	115	4.21shall appear with space for:
116	116	4.22 (1) the voter's address of present or former residence in Minnesota;
117	117	4.23 (2) the voter's current email address, if the voter has one;
118	118	4.24 (3) a statement indicating the category described in section 203B.16 to which the voter
119	119	4.25belongs;
120	120	4.26 (4) a statement that the voter has not cast and will not cast another absentee ballot in the
121	121	4.27same election or elections;
122	122	4.28 (5) a statement that the voter personally marked the ballots without showing them to
123	123	4.29anyone, or if physically unable to mark them, that the voter directed another individual to
124	124	4.30mark them; and
125	125	4Article 2 Sec. 4.
126	126	REVISOR JFK/VJ 25-0197602/03/25 5.1 (6) the same voter's passport number, Minnesota driver's license or state identification
127	127	5.2card number, or the last four digits of the voter's Social Security number as provided on the
128	128	5.3absentee ballot application; if the voter does not have access to any of these documents, the
129	129	5.4voter may attest to the truthfulness of the contents of the certificate under penalty of perjury.
130	130	5.5 The certificate shall also contain a signed oath in the form required by section 705 of
131	131	5.6the Help America Vote Act, Public Law 107-252, which must read:
132	132	5.7 "I swear or affirm, under penalty of perjury, that:
133	133	5.8 I am a member of the uniformed services or merchant marine on active duty or an eligible
134	134	5.9spouse or dependent of such a member;, a United States citizen temporarily residing outside
135	135	5.10the United States;, or other United States citizen residing outside the United States; and I
136	136	5.11am a United States citizen, I am or will be at least 18 years of age (or will be by the date of
137	137	5.12the election) on or before election day or I am or will be at least 16 years of age on or before
138	138	5.13election day to vote in a local election as provided in Minnesota Statutes, section 201.017,
139	139	5.14and I am eligible to vote in the requested jurisdiction; I have not been convicted of a felony,
140	140	5.15or other disqualifying offense, or been adjudicated mentally incompetent, or, if so, my voting
141	141	5.16rights have been reinstated; and I am not registering, requesting a ballot, or voting in any
142	142	5.17other jurisdiction in the United States except the jurisdiction cited in this voting form. In
143	143	5.18voting, I have marked and sealed my ballot in private and have not allowed any person to
144	144	5.19observe the marking of the ballot, except for those authorized to assist voters under state or
145	145	5.20federal law. I have not been influenced.
146	146	5.21 The information on this form is true, accurate, and complete to the best of my knowledge.
147	147	5.22I understand that a material misstatement of fact in completion of this document may
148	148	5.23constitute grounds for a conviction for perjury."
149	149	5.24 Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 204C.10, is amended to read:
150	150	5.25 204C.10 POLLING PLACE ROSTER; VOTER SIGNATURE CERTIFICATE;
151	151	5.26VOTER RECEIPT.
152	152	5.27 (a) An individual seeking to vote shall sign a polling place roster or voter signature
153	153	5.28certificate which states that the individual:
154	154	5.29 (1) is at least 18 years old or at least 16 years old on or before election day to vote in a
155	155	5.30local election as provided in section 201.017;
156	156	5.31 (2) is a citizen of the United States;
157	157	5.32 (3) has maintained residence in Minnesota for 20 days immediately preceding the election;
158	158	5Article 2 Sec. 5.
159	159	REVISOR JFK/VJ 25-0197602/03/25 6.1 (4) maintains residence at the address shown;
160	160	6.2 (5) is not under a guardianship in which the court order revokes the individual's right to
161	161	6.3vote;
162	162	6.4 (6) has not been found by a court of law to be legally incompetent to vote;
163	163	6.5 (7) has the right to vote because, if the individual was convicted of a felony, the individual
164	164	6.6is not currently incarcerated for that conviction;
165	165	6.7 (8) is registered; and
166	166	6.8 (9) has not already voted in the election.
167	167	6.9 The roster must also state: "I understand that deliberately providing false information
168	168	6.10is a felony punishable by not more than five years imprisonment and a fine of not more than
169	169	6.11$10,000, or both."
170	170	6.12 (b) At the presidential nomination primary, the polling place roster must also state: "I
171	171	6.13am in general agreement with the principles of the party for whose candidate I intend to
172	172	6.14vote." This statement must appear separately from the statements required in paragraph (a).
173	173	6.15The felony penalty provided for in paragraph (a) does not apply to this paragraph.
174	174	6.16 (c) A judge may, before the applicant signs the roster or voter signature certificate,
175	175	6.17confirm the applicant's name, address, and date of birth.
176	176	6.18 (d) After the applicant signs the roster or voter signature certificate, the judge shall give
177	177	6.19the applicant a voter's receipt. The voter shall deliver the voter's receipt to the judge in
178	178	6.20charge of ballots as proof of the voter's right to vote, and thereupon the judge shall hand to
179	179	6.21the voter the ballot. The voters' receipts must be maintained during the time for notice of
180	180	6.22filing an election contest.
181	181	6.23 (e) Whenever a challenged status appears on the polling place roster, an election judge
182	182	6.24must ensure that the challenge is concealed or hidden from the view of any voter other than
183	183	6.25the voter whose status is challenged.
184	184	6.26 Sec. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.
185	185	6.27 This article is effective January 1, 2027, if the constitutional amendment in article 1 is
186	186	6.28approved by the voters at the 2026 general election and applies to local elections held on
187	187	6.29or after that date.
188	188	6Article 2 Sec. 6.
189	189	REVISOR JFK/VJ 25-0197602/03/25 Page.Ln 1.8CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT...................................................ARTICLE 1
190	190	Page.Ln 2.8CONFORMING CHANGES.................................................................ARTICLE 2
191	191	1
192	192	APPENDIX
193	193	Article locations for 25-01976