1.1 	 A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to elections; requiring proof of citizenship as part of registration; 
1.3 	requiring voters to provide picture identification; providing for the issuance of 
1.4 	certain identification cards at no charge; establishing a procedure for unverified 
1.5 	ballots;amending Minnesota Statutes 2004, sections 201.061, subdivision 1; 
1.6 	204C.13, by adding a subdivision; Minnesota Statutes 2005 Supplement, sections 
1.7 	201.061, subdivision 3; 204C.10; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
1.8 	Statutes, chapter 204C.
1.9 	 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.10 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 201.061, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
1.11 		 Subdivision 1.Prior to election day.  At any time except during the 20 days 
1.12 	immediately preceding any election, an eligible voter or any individual who will be an 
1.13 	eligible voter at the time of the next election may register to vote in the precinct in which 
1.14 	the voter maintains residence by completing a voter registration application as described in 
1.15 	section 201.071, subdivision 1, and submitting it in person or by mail to the county auditor 
1.16 	of that county or to the Secretary of State's Office. The voter registration application must 
1.17 	be accompanied by proof of United States citizenship in the form of a passport, birth 
1.18 	certificate, or naturalization document, if registering in person, or a state-certified copy of 
1.19 	one of those documents, if registering by mail, except that this proof is not required when 
1.20 	the individual lives in a residential facility, as defined by section 201.061, subdivision 3. 
1.21 	A registration that is received no later than 5:00 p.m. on the 21st day preceding any 
1.22 	election shall be accepted.  An improperly addressed or delivered registration application 
1.23 	shall be forwarded within two working days after receipt to the county auditor of the 
1.24 	county where the voter maintains residence.  A state or local agency or an individual that 
1.25 	accepts completed voter registration applications from a voter must submit the completed 
2.1 	applications to the secretary of state or the appropriate county auditor within ten days 
2.2 	after the applications are dated by the voter.
2.3 	 For purposes of this section, mail registration is defined as a voter registration 
2.4 	application delivered to the secretary of state, county auditor, or municipal clerk by the 
2.5 	United States Postal Service or a commercial carrier.

2.6 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2005 Supplement, section 201.061, subdivision 3, is 
2.7 	amended to read:
2.8 		Subd. 3.Election day registration. (a) An individual who is eligible to vote may 
2.9 	register on election day by appearing in person at the polling place for the precinct 
2.10 	in which the individual maintains residence, by completing a registration application,
2.11 	providing proof of United States citizenship in the form of a passport, birth certificate, or 
2.12 	naturalization document, except that this proof is not required when the individual resides 
2.13 	in a residential facility, as defined by section 201.061, subdivision 3,  making an oath in the 
2.14 	form prescribed by the secretary of state and providing proof of residence. An individual 
2.15 	may prove residence for purposes of registering by:
2.16 	(1) presenting a driver's license or Minnesota identification card issued pursuant 
2.17 	to section 171.07;
2.18 	(2) presenting any document approved by the secretary of state as proper 
2.19 	identification;
2.20 	(3) presenting one of the following:
2.21 	(i) a current valid student identification card from a postsecondary educational 
2.22 	institution in Minnesota, if a list of students from that institution has been prepared under 
2.23 	section 135A.17 and certified to the county auditor in the manner provided in rules of 
2.24 	the secretary of state; or
2.25 	(ii) a current student fee statement that contains the student's valid address in the 
2.26 	precinct together with a picture identification card; or
2.27 	(4) having a voter who is registered to vote in the precinct, or who is an employee 
2.28 	employed by and working in a residential facility in the precinct and vouching for a 
2.29 	resident in the facility, sign an oath in the presence of the election judge vouching that the 
2.30 	voter or employee personally knows that the individual is a resident of the precinct. A 
2.31 	voter who has been vouched for on election day may not sign a proof of residence oath 
2.32 	vouching for any other individual on that election day. A voter who is registered to vote in 
2.33 	the precinct may sign up to 15 proof-of-residence oaths on any election day. This limitation 
2.34 	does not apply to an employee of a residential facility described in this clause. The 
2.35 	secretary of state shall provide a form for election judges to use in recording the number 
3.1 	of individuals for whom a voter signs proof-of-residence oaths on election day. The 
3.2 	form must include space for the maximum number of individuals for whom a voter may 
3.3 	sign proof-of-residence oaths. For each proof-of-residence oath, the form must include 
3.4 	a statement that the voter is registered to vote in the precinct, personally knows that the 
3.5 	individual is a resident of the precinct, and is making the statement on oath. The form must 
3.6 	include a space for the voter's printed name, signature, telephone number, and address.
3.7 	The oath required by this subdivision and Minnesota Rules, part 8200.9939, must 
3.8 	be attached to the voter registration application and the information on the oath must be 
3.9 	recorded on the records of both the voter registering on election day and the voter who 
3.10 	is vouching for the person's residence, and entered into the statewide voter registration 
3.11 	system by the county auditor when the voter registration application is entered into that 
3.12 	system.
3.13 	(b) The operator of a residential facility shall prepare a list of the names of its 
3.14 	employees currently working in the residential facility and the address of the residential 
3.15 	facility. The operator shall certify the list and provide it to the appropriate county auditor 
3.16 	no less than 20 days before each election for use in election day registration.
3.17 	(c) "Residential facility" means transitional housing as defined in section 256E.33, 
3.18 	subdivision 1; a supervised living facility licensed by the commissioner of health under 
3.19 	section 144.50, subdivision 6; a nursing home as defined in section 144A.01, subdivision 
3.20 	5; a residence registered with the commissioner of health as a housing with services 
3.21 	establishment as defined in section 144D.01, subdivision 4; a veterans home operated by 
3.22 	the board of directors of the Minnesota Veterans Homes under chapter 198; a residence 
3.23 	licensed by the commissioner of human services to provide a residential program as 
3.24 	defined in section 245A.02, subdivision 14; a residential facility for persons with a 
3.25 	developmental disability licensed by the commissioner of human services under section 
3.26 	252.28; group residential housing as defined in section 256I.03, subdivision 3; a shelter 
3.27 	for battered women as defined in section 611A.37, subdivision 4; or a supervised 
3.28 	publicly or privately operated shelter or dwelling designed to provide temporary living 
3.29 	accommodations for the homeless.
3.30 	(d) For tribal band members, an individual may prove residence for purposes of 
3.31 	registering by presenting an identification card issued by the tribal government of a tribe 
3.32 	recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, United States Department of the Interior, that 
3.33 	contains the name, address, signature, and picture of the individual.
3.34 	(e) A county, school district, or municipality may require that an election judge 
3.35 	responsible for election day registration initial each completed registration application.

4.1 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2005 Supplement, section 204C.10, is amended to read:
4.2 	204C.10 PERMANENT REGISTRATION; VERIFICATION OF 
4.3 	REGISTRATION.
4.4 	(a) An individual seeking to vote shall sign a polling place roster which states 
4.5 	that the individual is at least 18 years of age, a citizen of the United States, has resided 
4.6 	in Minnesota for 20 days immediately preceding the election, maintains residence at 
4.7 	the address shown, is not under a guardianship in which the court order revokes the 
4.8 	individual's right to vote, has not been found by a court of law to be legally incompetent 
4.9 	to vote or convicted of a felony without having civil rights restored, is registered and 
4.10 	has not already voted in the election. The roster must also state: "I understand that 
4.11 	deliberately providing false information is a felony punishable by not more than five years 
4.12 	imprisonment and a fine of not more than $10,000, or both."
4.13 	(b) A judge may, Before the applicant signs the roster, a judge:
4.14 	(1) may confirm the applicant's name, address, and date of birth; and
4.15 	(2) except when the voter resides in a residential facility, as defined by section 
4.16 	201.061, subdivision 3, shall require the voter to provide a picture identification card 
4.17 	or document.
4.18 	(c) After the applicant signs the roster, the judge shall give the applicant a voter's 
4.19 	receipt. The voter shall deliver the voter's receipt to the judge in charge of ballots as proof 
4.20 	of the voter's right to vote, and thereupon the judge shall hand to the voter the ballot. The 
4.21 	voters' receipts must be maintained during the time for notice of filing an election contest.

4.22 	Sec. 4. [204C.105] NO CHARGE FOR CERTAIN IDENTIFICATION.
4.23 	(a)	The Department of Public Safety shall provide to each eligible applicant at 
4.24 	no charge a Minnesota identification card or Under-21 identification card as described 
4.25 	in section 171.07, subdivision 3, to anyone eligible to vote who presents verification of 
4.26 	a household income below the federal poverty level and demonstrates a need. This free 
4.27 	identification card can only be applied for at one of the 16 regional state-run Department of 
4.28 	Motor Vehicle driver's license facilities. The secretary of state's office shall reimburse the 
4.29 	Department of Public Safety the actual cost for providing the free Minnesota identification 
4.30 	card or Under-21 identification card issued pursuant to this section. 
4.31 	(b)	The applicant must present verification of eligibility when applying for an initial 
4.32 	identification card or Under-21 identification card and when applying for any renewal or, 
4.33 	as a result of a change of address, for a duplicate of an identification card or Under-21 
4.34 	identification card. 
5.1 	(c)	All costs and implementation procedures shall be agreed upon by the secretary of 
5.2 	state and the commissioner of public safety prior to the implementation of this section. 
5.3 	(d)	The secretary of state and the commissioner of public safety shall reevaluate the 
5.4 	costs of this program prior to the 2008-2009 biennium and report to the legislature their 
5.5 	findings for possible inclusion in the budget for that biennium.

5.6 	Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 204C.13, is amended by adding a subdivision 
5.7 	to read:
5.8 		Subd. 6a.Unverified ballots. A voter who is unable to provide required photo 
5.9 	identification may mark a ballot, which the election judges shall receive and mark as 
5.10 	"unverified." The election judges must maintain a list of the names and addresses of 
5.11 	voters who cast such ballots. The unverified ballots must be counted unless they equal ten 
5.12 	percent or more of the ballots cast in the precinct. In that case, the election judges must 
5.13 	not count the unverified ballots unless the eligibility of  the voters can be determined as 
5.14 	provided by this subdivision. Within two days after the election, the county auditor must 
5.15 	notify each voter whose ballot was marked "unverified" that the voter's ballot shall be 
5.16 	counted if the voter provides photo identification to the county auditor within three days.

5.17 	Sec. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.
 5.18 	Sections 1 to 5 are effective July 1, 2007.