Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Minnesota Senate Bill SF1557 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 school
3	3	1.3 districts to lower the voting age to 16 for school 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 school district may lower the voting age
16	16	1.16to 16 years of age for school elections but must not amend any other voter eligibility
17	17	1.17requirements. The place of voting by one otherwise qualified who has changed his residence
18	18	1.18within 30 days preceding the election shall be prescribed by law. The following persons
19	19	1.19shall not be entitled or permitted to vote at any election in this state: A person not meeting
20	20	1.20the above requirements; a person who has been convicted of treason or felony, unless restored
21	21	1.21to civil rights; a person under guardianship, or a person who is insane or not mentally
22	22	1.22competent.
23	23	1Article 1 Section 1.
24	24	25-03038 as introduced02/10/25 REVISOR JFK/KR
25	25	SENATE
26	26	STATE OF MINNESOTA
27	27	S.F. No. 1557NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
28	28	(SENATE AUTHORS: CWODZINSKI)
29	29	OFFICIAL STATUSD-PGDATE
30	30	Introduction and first reading02/17/2025
31	31	Referred to Elections 2.1 Sec. 2. SUBMISSION TO VOTERS.
32	32	2.2 The proposed amendment must be submitted to the people at the 2026 general election.
33	33	2.3The question submitted must be:
34	34	2.4 "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to allow school districts to lower the
35	35	2.5voting age to 16 years of age for school elections?
36	36	2.6 Yes ...................
37	37	"2.7 No ....................
38	38	2.8 ARTICLE 2
39	39	2.9 CONFORMING CHANGES
40	40	2.10 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 201.014, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
41	41	2.11 Subdivision 1.Requirements.Except as provided in subdivision 2, an individual who
42	42	2.12meets the following requirements at the time of an election is eligible to vote. The individual
43	43	2.13must:
44	44	2.14 (1) be 18 years of age or older or be 16 years of age or older to vote in a school election
45	45	2.15as provided in section 201.017;
46	46	2.16 (2) be a citizen of the United States; and
47	47	2.17 (3) maintain residence in Minnesota for 20 days immediately preceding the election.
48	48	2.18 Sec. 2. [201.017] VOTING AGE FOR SCHOOL ELECTIONS.
49	49	2.19 The governing body of a school district may adopt a resolution that allows a person 16
50	50	2.20years old on or before election day to vote in elections held by the jurisdiction that adopted
51	51	2.21the resolution. The voter must satisfy all other voter eligibility requirements. A person under
52	52	2.22the age of 18 may only vote for offices and ballot questions for the jurisdiction that has
53	53	2.23adopted the lower voting age. A person under the age of 18 must not be allowed to vote for
54	54	2.24any state or federal office or state ballot question. The ballot provided to an individual
55	55	2.25authorized to vote under this section must be prepared so that the individual may vote only
56	56	2.26for school offices or questions where the voter is authorized to vote.
57	57	2.27 Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 201.071, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
58	58	2.28 Subdivision 1.Form.Both paper and electronic voter registration applications must
59	59	2.29contain the same information unless otherwise provided by law. A voter registration
60	60	2.30application must contain spaces for the following required information: voter's first name,
61	61	2Article 2 Sec. 3.
62	62	25-03038 as introduced02/10/25 REVISOR JFK/KR 3.1middle name, and last name; voter's previous name, if any; voter's current address; voter's
63	63	3.2previous address, if any; voter's date of birth; voter's municipality and county of residence;
64	64	3.3voter's telephone number, if provided by the voter; date of registration; current and valid
65	65	3.4Minnesota driver's license number or Minnesota state identification number, or if the voter
66	66	3.5has no current and valid Minnesota driver's license or Minnesota state identification, the
67	67	3.6last four digits of the voter's Social Security number; a box to indicate a voter's preference
68	68	3.7to join the permanent absentee voter list; and voter's signature. The paper registration
69	69	3.8application must provide a space for a voter to provide a physical description of the location
70	70	3.9of their residence, if the voter resides in an area lacking a specific physical address. The
71	71	3.10description must be sufficient for the county auditor to identify the correct precinct for the
72	72	3.11voter. The description may include the closest cross street or the nearest address to the
73	73	3.12described location that is identified on a precinct map, and directions from that cross street
74	74	3.13or address to the described location, including but not limited to the cardinal direction and
75	75	3.14approximate distance to the location. The paper registration application may include the
76	76	3.15voter's email address, if provided by the voter. The electronic voter registration application
77	77	3.16must include the voter's email address. The registration application may include the voter's
78	78	3.17interest in serving as an election judge, if indicated by the voter. The application must also
79	79	3.18contain the following certification of voter eligibility:
80	80	3.19 "I certify that I:
81	81	3.20 (1) am at least 16 years old and understand that I must be at least 18 years old to be
82	82	3.21eligible to vote, except that I am eligible to vote in a school election in a school district that
83	83	3.22has authorized 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in school elections;
84	84	3.23 (2) am a citizen of the United States;
85	85	3.24 (3) will have maintained residence in Minnesota for 20 days immediately preceding
86	86	3.25election day;
87	87	3.26 (4) maintain residence at the address or location given on the registration form;
88	88	3.27 (5) am not under court-ordered guardianship in which the court order revokes my right
89	89	3.28to vote;
90	90	3.29 (6) have not been found by a court to be legally incompetent to vote;
91	91	3.30 (7) am not currently incarcerated for a conviction of a felony offense; and
92	92	3.31 (8) have read and understand the following statement: that giving false information is a
93	93	3.32felony punishable by not more than five years imprisonment or a fine of not more than
94	94	3.33$10,000, or both."
95	95	3Article 2 Sec. 3.
96	96	25-03038 as introduced02/10/25 REVISOR JFK/KR 4.1 The certification must include boxes for the voter to respond to the following questions:
97	97	4.2 "(1) Are you a citizen of the United States?" and
98	98	4.3 "(2) Are you at least 16 years old and will you be at least 18 years old on or before the
99	99	4.4day of the election in which you intend to vote; or are you at least 16 years old and will you
100	100	4.5be voting in a school election in a school district that has authorized 16- and 17-year olds
101	101	4.6to vote in a school election?"
102	102	4.7 And the instruction:
103	103	4.8 "If you checked 'no' to either of these questions, do not complete this form."
104	104	4.9 The form of the voter registration application and the certification of voter eligibility
105	105	4.10must be as provided in this subdivision and approved by the secretary of state. Voter
106	106	4.11registration forms authorized by the National Voter Registration Act must also be accepted
107	107	4.12as valid. The federal postcard application form must also be accepted as valid if it is not
108	108	4.13deficient and the voter is eligible to register in Minnesota.
109	109	4.14 An individual may use a voter registration application to apply to register to vote in
110	110	4.15Minnesota or to change information on an existing registration.
111	111	4.16 Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 203B.21, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
112	112	4.17 Subd. 3.Back of signature envelope.On the back of the signature envelope a certificate
113	113	4.18shall appear with space for:
114	114	4.19 (1) the voter's address of present or former residence in Minnesota;
115	115	4.20 (2) the voter's current email address, if the voter has one;
116	116	4.21 (3) a statement indicating the category described in section 203B.16 to which the voter
117	117	4.22belongs;
118	118	4.23 (4) a statement that the voter has not cast and will not cast another absentee ballot in the
119	119	4.24same election or elections;
120	120	4.25 (5) a statement that the voter personally marked the ballots without showing them to
121	121	4.26anyone, or if physically unable to mark them, that the voter directed another individual to
122	122	4.27mark them; and
123	123	4.28 (6) the same voter's passport number, Minnesota driver's license or state identification
124	124	4.29card number, or the last four digits of the voter's Social Security number as provided on the
125	125	4.30absentee ballot application; if the voter does not have access to any of these documents, the
126	126	4.31voter may attest to the truthfulness of the contents of the certificate under penalty of perjury.
127	127	4Article 2 Sec. 4.
128	128	25-03038 as introduced02/10/25 REVISOR JFK/KR 5.1 The certificate shall also contain a signed oath in the form required by section 705 of
129	129	5.2the Help America Vote Act, Public Law 107-252, which must read:
130	130	5.3 "I swear or affirm, under penalty of perjury, that:
131	131	5.4 I am a member of the uniformed services or merchant marine on active duty or an eligible
132	132	5.5spouse or dependent of such a member;, a United States citizen temporarily residing outside
133	133	5.6the United States;, or other United States citizen residing outside the United States; and I
134	134	5.7am a United States citizen, I am or will be at least 18 years of age (or will be by the date of
135	135	5.8the election) on or before election day or I am or will be at least 16 years of age on or before
136	136	5.9election day to vote in a school election as provided in Minnesota Statutes, section 201.017,
137	137	5.10and I am eligible to vote in the requested jurisdiction; I have not been convicted of a felony,
138	138	5.11or other disqualifying offense, or been adjudicated mentally incompetent, or, if so, my voting
139	139	5.12rights have been reinstated; and I am not registering, requesting a ballot, or voting in any
140	140	5.13other jurisdiction in the United States except the jurisdiction cited in this voting form. In
141	141	5.14voting, I have marked and sealed my ballot in private and have not allowed any person to
142	142	5.15observe the marking of the ballot, except for those authorized to assist voters under state or
143	143	5.16federal law. I have not been influenced.
144	144	5.17 The information on this form is true, accurate, and complete to the best of my knowledge.
145	145	5.18I understand that a material misstatement of fact in completion of this document may
146	146	5.19constitute grounds for a conviction for perjury."
147	147	5.20 Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 204C.10, is amended to read:
148	148	5.21 204C.10 POLLING PLACE ROSTER; VOTER SIGNATURE CERTIFICATE;
149	149	5.22VOTER RECEIPT.
150	150	5.23 (a) An individual seeking to vote shall sign a polling place roster or voter signature
151	151	5.24certificate which states that the individual:
152	152	5.25 (1) is at least 18 years old or at least 16 years old on or before election day to vote in a
153	153	5.26school election as provided in section 201.017;
154	154	5.27 (2) is a citizen of the United States;
155	155	5.28 (3) has maintained residence in Minnesota for 20 days immediately preceding the election;
156	156	5.29 (4) maintains residence at the address shown;
157	157	5.30 (5) is not under a guardianship in which the court order revokes the individual's right to
158	158	5.31vote;
159	159	5.32 (6) has not been found by a court of law to be legally incompetent to vote;
160	160	5Article 2 Sec. 5.
161	161	25-03038 as introduced02/10/25 REVISOR JFK/KR 6.1 (7) has the right to vote because, if the individual was convicted of a felony, the individual
162	162	6.2is not currently incarcerated for that conviction;
163	163	6.3 (8) is registered; and
164	164	6.4 (9) has not already voted in the election.
165	165	6.5 The roster must also state: "I understand that deliberately providing false information
166	166	6.6is a felony punishable by not more than five years imprisonment and a fine of not more than
167	167	6.7$10,000, or both."
168	168	6.8 (b) At the presidential nomination primary, the polling place roster must also state: "I
169	169	6.9am in general agreement with the principles of the party for whose candidate I intend to
170	170	6.10vote." This statement must appear separately from the statements required in paragraph (a).
171	171	6.11The felony penalty provided for in paragraph (a) does not apply to this paragraph.
172	172	6.12 (c) A judge may, before the applicant signs the roster or voter signature certificate,
173	173	6.13confirm the applicant's name, address, and date of birth.
174	174	6.14 (d) After the applicant signs the roster or voter signature certificate, the judge shall give
175	175	6.15the applicant a voter's receipt. The voter shall deliver the voter's receipt to the judge in
176	176	6.16charge of ballots as proof of the voter's right to vote, and thereupon the judge shall hand to
177	177	6.17the voter the ballot. The voters' receipts must be maintained during the time for notice of
178	178	6.18filing an election contest.
179	179	6.19 (e) Whenever a challenged status appears on the polling place roster, an election judge
180	180	6.20must ensure that the challenge is concealed or hidden from the view of any voter other than
181	181	6.21the voter whose status is challenged.
182	182	6.22 Sec. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.
183	183	6.23 This article is effective January 1, 2027, if the constitutional amendment in article 1 is
184	184	6.24approved by the voters at the 2026 general election and applies to school elections held on
185	185	6.25or after that date.
186	186	6Article 2 Sec. 6.
187	187	25-03038 as introduced02/10/25 REVISOR JFK/KR Page.Ln 1.8CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT...................................................ARTICLE 1
188	188	Page.Ln 2.8CONFORMING CHANGES.................................................................ARTICLE 2
189	189	1
190	190	APPENDIX
191	191	Article locations for 25-03038