1.1 A bill for an act
1.2 relating to elections; modifying provisions related to absentee voting; amending
1.3 Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 203B.04, subdivision 1; 203B.05, subdivision
1.4 1; 203B.121, subdivisions 4, 5; 203B.29, subdivisions 1, 2; 203B.30, subdivision
1.5 3.
1.6BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.7 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 203B.04, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
1.8 Subdivision 1.Application procedures.(a) Except as otherwise allowed by subdivision
1.92 or by section 203B.11, subdivision 4, or 203B.29, an application for absentee ballots for
1.10any election:
1.11 (1) may be submitted in person at any time not later than the day before the election; or
1.12 (2) if not submitted in person as provided in clause (1), must be received at any time not
1.13less than one day seven days before the day of that election.
1.14The county auditor shall prepare absentee ballot application forms in the format provided
1.15by the secretary of state and shall furnish them to any person on request. By January 1 of
1.16each even-numbered year, the secretary of state shall make the forms to be used available
1.17to auditors through electronic means. An application submitted pursuant to this subdivision
1.18shall be in writing. An application may be submitted in person, by electronic facsimile
1.19device, by electronic mail, or by mail to:
1.20 (1) the county auditor of the county where the applicant maintains residence; or
1.21 (2) the municipal clerk of the municipality, or school district if applicable, where the
1.22applicant maintains residence.
1Section 1.
REVISOR JFK H2474-1HF2474 FIRST ENGROSSMENT
107
Printed
Page No.State of Minnesota
This Document can be made available
in alternative formats upon request
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H. F. No. 2474
NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
Authored by Tabke, Klevorn, Stephenson, Freiberg, Gomez and others03/17/2025
The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Elections Finance and Government Operations
Adoption of Report: Placed on the General Register as Amended03/26/2025
Read for the Second Time 2.1 (b) An absentee ballot application may alternatively be submitted electronically through
2.2a secure website that shall be maintained by the secretary of state for this purpose. After
2.35:00 p.m. seven days prior to an election, the secretary of state must replace the electronic
2.4application with information detailing the available options to vote before and on the
2.5upcoming election day. Notwithstanding paragraph (d), the secretary of state must require
2.6applicants using the website to submit the applicant's email address and the applicant's:
2.7 (1) verifiable Minnesota driver's license number, or Minnesota state identification card
2.8number, or; and
2.9 (2) the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security number.
2.10If an applicant does not possess both types of documents, the applicant must include the
2.11number for one type of document and must affirmatively certify that the applicant does not
2.12possess the other type of documentation. This paragraph does not apply to a town election
2.13held in March.
2.14 (c) An application submitted electronically under this paragraph (b) may only be
2.15transmitted to the county auditor for processing if the secretary of state has verified the
2.16application information matches the information in a government database associated with
2.17the applicant's driver's license number, state identification card number, or Social Security
2.18number. The secretary of state must review all unverifiable applications for evidence of
2.19suspicious activity and must forward any such application to an appropriate law enforcement
2.20agency for investigation.
2.21 (d) An application shall be approved if it is timely received, signed and dated by the
2.22applicant, contains the applicant's name and residence and mailing addresses, date of birth,
2.23and at least one of the following:
2.24 (1) the applicant's Minnesota driver's license number;
2.25 (2) Minnesota state identification card number;
2.26 (3) the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security number; or
2.27 (4) a statement that the applicant does not have any of these numbers.
2.28All applications must be retained by the county auditor or the municipal clerk or school
2.29district clerk, if applicable. If an application is received after 5:00 p.m. seven days prior to
2.30the election, the official in charge of the ballot board must, within one day of receipt of the
2.31application, attempt to contact the applicant by telephone or email to notify the applicant
2.32of opportunities to vote in the election. The official must document the attempts made to
2.33contact the applicant.
2Section 1.
REVISOR JFK H2474-1HF2474 FIRST ENGROSSMENT 3.1 (e) To be approved, the application must contain an oath that the information contained
3.2on the form is accurate, that the applicant is applying on the applicant's own behalf, and
3.3that the applicant is signing the form under penalty of perjury.
3.4 (f) An applicant's full date of birth, Minnesota driver's license or state identification
3.5number, and the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security number must not be made
3.6available for public inspection. An application may be submitted to the county auditor or
3.7municipal clerk by an electronic facsimile device. An application mailed or returned in
3.8person to the county auditor or municipal clerk on behalf of a voter by a person other than
3.9the voter must be deposited in the mail or returned in person to the county auditor or
3.10municipal clerk within ten seven days after it has been dated by the voter and no later than
3.11six seven days before the election.
3.12 (g) An application under this subdivision may contain an application under subdivision
3.135 to automatically receive an absentee ballot.
3.14 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 203B.05, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
3.15 Subdivision 1.Generally.The full-time clerk of any city or town shall administer the
3.16provisions of sections 203B.04 to 203B.15 and 203B.30 if:
3.17 (1) the county auditor of that county has designated the clerk to administer them and the
3.18clerk accepts that responsibility; or
3.19 (2) the clerk has given the county auditor of that county notice of intention to administer
3.20them.
3.21 The designation or notice must specify whether the clerk will be responsible for the
3.22administration of a ballot board as provided in section 203B.121 and whether the
3.23municipality's office will be designated an absentee voting location pursuant to section
3.24203B.081, subdivision 1, or only for early voting pursuant to section 203B.081, subdivision
3.251a.
3.26 A clerk of a city that is located in more than one county may only administer the
3.27provisions of sections 203B.04 to 203B.15 and 203B.30 if the clerk has been designated
3.28by each of the county auditors or has provided notice to each of the county auditors that the
3.29city will administer absentee voting. A clerk may only administer the provisions of sections
3.30203B.04 to 203B.15 and 203B.30 if the clerk has technical capacity to access the statewide
3.31voter registration system in the secure manner prescribed by the secretary of state. The
3.32secretary of state must identify hardware, software, security, or other technical prerequisites
3.33necessary to ensure the security, access controls, and performance of the statewide voter
3Sec. 2.
REVISOR JFK H2474-1HF2474 FIRST ENGROSSMENT 4.1registration system. A clerk must receive training approved by the secretary of state on the
4.2use of the statewide voter registration system before administering this section. A clerk may
4.3not use the statewide voter registration system until the clerk has received the required
4.4training. The county auditor must notify the secretary of state of any municipal clerk who
4.5will be administering the provisions of this section and the duties that the clerk will
4.6administer.
4.7 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective upon the revisor of statutes' receipt of
4.8the early voting certification and applies to elections held on or after the 85th day after the
4.9revisor of statutes receives the certification.
4.10 Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 203B.121, subdivision 4, is amended to read:
4.11 Subd. 4.Opening of envelopes.(a) After the close of business on the 19th day before
4.12the election, the ballots from secrecy ballot envelopes within the signature envelopes marked
4.13"Accepted" may be opened, duplicated as needed in the manner provided in section 206.86,
4.14subdivision 5, initialed by the members of the ballot board, and deposited in the appropriate
4.15ballot box. If more than one voted ballot is enclosed in the ballot envelope, the ballots must
4.16be returned in the manner provided by section 204C.25 for return of spoiled ballots, and
4.17may not be counted.
4.18 (b) Accepted signature envelopes must be segregated by precinct and processed in
4.19accordance with this subdivision on a precinct-by-precinct basis. Precincts within a
4.20combination polling place established in section 205A.11, subdivision 2, may be processed
4.21together. At each step, members of the ballot board must notify the official responsible for
4.22the ballot board if there is a discrepancy in any count required by paragraphs (c) to (e) and
4.23note it in the ballot board incident log.
4.24 (c) Before opening accepted signature envelopes, two members of the ballot board must
4.25count and record the number of envelopes and ensure that the count matches either the
4.26number of accepted signature envelopes provided by the official responsible for the ballot
4.27board or the number of signature envelopes accepted by the ballot board that day.
4.28 (d) Two members of the ballot board must remove the ballots from the ballot envelopes.
4.29The governing body responsible for the ballot board must retain all ballot envelopes through
4.30the contest period of that election.
4.31 (e) After ballots have been removed from the ballot envelopes, two members of the
4.32ballot board must count and record the number of ballots to ensure the count matches the
4Sec. 3.
REVISOR JFK H2474-1HF2474 FIRST ENGROSSMENT 5.1number of accepted signature envelopes, accounting for any empty envelopes or spoiled
5.2ballots, which must be noted on the ballot board incident log.
5.3 Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 203B.121, subdivision 5, is amended to read:
5.4 Subd. 5.Storage and counting of absentee ballots.(a) On a day on which absentee
5.5ballots are inserted into a ballot box, two members of the ballot board must:
5.6 (1) remove the ballots from the ballot box at the end of the day;
5.7 (2) without inspecting the ballots, ensure that the number of ballots removed from the
5.8ballot box is equal to the number of voters whose absentee ballots were accepted from the
5.9tally in subdivision 4 that were to be inserted into the ballot box that day; and
5.10 (3) seal and secure all voted and unvoted ballots present in that location at the end of
5.11the day.
5.12 (b) After the polls have closed on election day, two members of the ballot board must
5.13count the ballots, tabulating the vote in a manner that indicates each vote of the voter and
5.14the total votes cast for each candidate or question. In state primary and state general elections,
5.15the results must indicate the total votes cast for each candidate or question in each precinct
5.16and report the vote totals tabulated for each precinct. The count must be recorded on a
5.17summary statement in substantially the same format as provided in section 204C.26. The
5.18ballot board shall must submit at least one completed summary statement to the county
5.19auditor or municipal clerk. The county auditor or municipal clerk may require the ballot
5.20board to submit a sufficient number of completed summary statements to comply with the
5.21provisions of section 204C.27, or the county auditor or municipal clerk may certify reports
5.22containing the details of the ballot board summary statement to the recipients of the summary
5.23statements designated in section 204C.27.
5.24 In state primary and state general elections, These vote totals shall must be added to the
5.25vote totals on the summary statements of the returns for the appropriate precinct. In other
5.26elections, these vote totals may be added to the vote totals on the summary statement of
5.27returns for the appropriate precinct or may be reported as a separate total.
5.28 The count shall must be public. No vote totals from ballots may be made public before
5.29the close of voting on election day.
5.30 (c) In addition to the requirements of paragraphs (a) and (b), if the task has not been
5.31completed previously, the members of the ballot board must verify as soon as possible, but
5.32no later than 24 hours after the end of the hours for voting, that voters whose absentee ballots
5.33arrived after the rosters were marked or supplemental reports were generated and whose
5Sec. 4.
REVISOR JFK H2474-1HF2474 FIRST ENGROSSMENT 6.1ballots were accepted did not vote in person on election day. An absentee ballot submitted
6.2by a voter who has voted in person on election day must be rejected. All other accepted
6.3absentee ballots must be opened in accordance with the procedures outlined in subdivision
6.44, except for the absentee ballots cast using the alternative procedure in section 203B.081,
6.5subdivision 3, duplicated if necessary, and counted by members of the ballot board. The
6.6vote totals from these ballots must be incorporated into the totals with the other absentee
6.7ballots and handled according to paragraph (b).
6.8 Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 203B.29, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
6.9 Subdivision 1.Emergency response providers.Any eligible Minnesota voter who is
6.10a trained or certified emergency response provider or utility worker who is deployed in
6.11response to any state of emergency declared by the President of the United States or any
6.12governor of any state within the United States during the time period authorized by law for
6.13absentee voting or on election day may request that ballots, instructions, and a certificate
6.14of voter eligibility be transmitted to the voter electronically. Upon receipt of a properly
6.15completed application requesting electronic transmission, the county auditor must
6.16electronically transmit the requested materials to the voter. The absentee ballot application
6.17deadlines in section 203B.04, subdivision 1, do not apply to this subdivision. The county
6.18auditor is not required to provide return postage to voters to whom ballots are transmitted
6.19electronically.
6.20 Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 203B.29, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
6.21 Subd. 2.Reasonable accommodation for voter with disability.Any eligible Minnesota
6.22voter with a print disability, including any voter with disabilities that interfere with the
6.23effective reading, writing, or use of printed materials, may request that ballots, instructions,
6.24and a certificate of voter eligibility be transmitted to the voter electronically in an accessible
6.25format that meets Election Assistance Commission minimum accessibility requirements.
6.26Upon receipt of a properly completed application requesting electronic transmission, the
6.27county auditor shall electronically transmit the requested materials to the voter. The absentee
6.28ballot application deadlines in section 203B.04, subdivision 1, do not apply to this
6.29subdivision. The county auditor must also mail the voter materials required under section
6.30203B.07.
6.31 Sec. 7. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 203B.30, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
6.32 Subd. 3.Processing of ballots.Each day when early voting occurs, the early voting
6.33officials must:
6Sec. 7.
REVISOR JFK H2474-1HF2474 FIRST ENGROSSMENT 7.1 (1) remove and secure ballots cast during the early voting period following the procedures
7.2in section 203B.121, subdivision 5, paragraph (a). noting the date, voting location, and
7.3number of ballots cast;
7.4 (2) without inspecting the ballots, ensure that the number of ballots removed from the
7.5ballot box is equal to the number of voter certificates that were signed by voters in subdivision
7.62, paragraph (b); and
7.7 (3) seal and secure all voted and unvoted ballots present in that location at the end of
7.8the day.
7.9 The absentee ballot board must count the ballots after the polls have closed on election
7.10day following the procedures in section 203B.121, subdivision 5, paragraph (b).
7.11 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective upon the revisor of statutes' receipt of
7.12the early voting certification and applies to elections held on or after the 85th day after the
7.13revisor of statutes receives the certification.
7Sec. 7.
REVISOR JFK H2474-1HF2474 FIRST ENGROSSMENT