1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to elections; providing for equal treatment
1.3 	of voters; appropriating money; proposing coding for
1.4 	new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapters 204B; 206.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	ARTICLE 1
1.7 	STATEWIDE POLICY

1.8 	Section 1. [204B.475] EQUAL TREATMENT OF VOTERS.
1.9 	After December 31, 2005, each polling place in Minnesota
1.10 	must have voting equipment that treats every voter in the state
1.11 	equally by permitting every voter to vote independently and
1.12 	privately, and to detect errors and change their votes before
1.13 	their ballot is cast and counted.

1.14 	ARTICLE 2
1.15 	EQUIPMENT FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

1.16 	Section 1. [206.585] STATE VOTING SYSTEMS CONTRACT.
1.17 	The secretary of state shall establish a state assistive
1.18 	voting systems contract for purchases of voting systems
1.19 	compliant with Section 301(a)(3) of the Help America Vote Act,
1.20 	Public Law 107-252, and sections 206.57, subdivision 5, and
1.21 	206.80.  The contract should, if practical, include provisions
1.22 	for maintenance of the equipment purchased.  Counties and
1.23 	municipalities may only purchase or lease assistive voting
1.24 	systems and obtain related election services from the state
1.25 	contract.

2.1 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATIONS.
 2.2 		Subdivision 1.Assistive voting equipment. $16,000,000
2.3 	is appropriated from the Help America Vote Act account to the
2.4 	secretary of state for grants to counties to purchase electronic
2.5 	voting systems equipped for individuals with disabilities that
2.6 	meet the requirements of Section 301(a)(3) of the Help America
2.7 	Vote Act, Public Law 107-252, and Minnesota Statutes, sections
2.8 	206.57, subdivision 5, and 206.80, and have been certified by
2.9 	the secretary of state under Minnesota Statutes, section 206.57.
2.10 	Precincts that share a polling place with other precincts
2.11 	pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 204B.14, subdivision 4,
2.12 	may share the assistive voting equipment.  Notwithstanding
2.13 	Minnesota Statutes, section 204B.14, upon written request to and
2.14 	approval of the secretary of state, the responsible municipal
2.15 	clerks may combine an unlimited number of noncontiguous
2.16 	precincts located in one or more counties into one polling place
2.17 	which may be located anywhere.  To the extent that an election
2.18 	includes offices for more than one jurisdiction, operating costs
2.19 	are to be allocated among those jurisdictions.
2.20 		Subd. 2.Assistive voting system operating costs. (a)
2.21 	"Operating costs" include actual county and municipal costs for
2.22 	hardware maintenance, election day technical support, software
2.23 	licensing, voting system testing, training of county or
2.24 	municipal staff in the use of the assistive voting system,
2.25 	transportation of the assistive voting systems to and from the
2.26 	polling places, and storage of the assistive voting systems
2.27 	between elections.
2.28 	(b) $3,000,000 is appropriated to the secretary of state
2.29 	for grants to counties to defray the operating costs of the
2.30 	assistive voting equipment.  Each county may submit a request
2.31 	for no more than $450 per polling place per biennium until the
2.32 	appropriation is exhausted.
2.33 		Subd. 3.Availability. The appropriations in this
2.34 	section are available until June 30, 2009.

2.35 	Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.
 2.36 	This article is effective the day following final enactment.