1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to elections; setting the criteria for voting systems to be used in elections; 
1.3 	establishing a voting machines options working group;amending Minnesota 
1.4 	Statutes 2005 Supplement, sections 206.56, subdivisions 1b, 3, 7a, 7b, 8; 206.61, 
1.5 	subdivision 5; 206.80; 206.805, subdivision 1; 206.83; 206.90, subdivision 8; 
1.6 	proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 206.
1.7 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.8 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2005 Supplement, section 206.56, subdivision 1b, 
1.9 	is amended to read:
1.10 		Subd. 1b.Audio ballot reader. "Audio ballot reader" means an audio representation 
1.11 	of a ballot that can be used with other assistive voting technology to permit a voter to mark 
1.12 	votes on a nonelectronic ballot or to securely transmit a ballot electronically to automatic 
1.13 	tabulating equipment in the polling place.

1.14 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2005 Supplement, section 206.56, subdivision 3, is 
1.15 	amended to read:
1.16 		Subd. 3.Ballot. "Ballot" includes paper ballots, ballot cards, and  the paper ballot 
1.17 	marked by an electronic marking device, and an electronic record of each vote cast by 
1.18 	a voter at an election and securely transmitted electronically to automatic tabulating 
1.19 	equipment in the polling place.

1.20 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2005 Supplement, section 206.56, subdivision 7a, is 
1.21 	amended to read:
1.22 		Subd. 7a.Electronic ballot display. "Electronic ballot display" means a graphic 
1.23 	representation of a ballot on a computer monitor or screen on which a voter may make 
2.1 	vote choices for candidates and questions for the purpose of marking a nonelectronic 
2.2 	ballot or securely transmitting an electronic ballot to automatic tabulating equipment 
2.3 	in the polling place.

2.4 	Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2005 Supplement, section 206.56, subdivision 7b, is 
2.5 	amended to read:
2.6 		Subd. 7b.Electronic ballot marker. "Electronic ballot marker" means equipment 
2.7 	that is part of an electronic voting system that uses an electronic ballot display or audio 
2.8 	ballot reader to:
2.9 	(1) mark a nonelectronic ballot with votes selected by a voter; or
2.10 	(2) securely transmit a ballot electronically to automatic tabulating equipment in the 
2.11 	polling place.

2.12 	Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2005 Supplement, section 206.56, subdivision 8, is 
2.13 	amended to read:
2.14 		Subd. 8.Electronic voting system. "Electronic voting system" means a system 
2.15 	in which the voter records votes by means of marking or transmitting a ballot, so that 
2.16 	votes may be counted by automatic tabulating equipment in the polling place where the 
2.17 	ballot is cast or at a counting center.
2.18 	An electronic voting system includes automatic tabulating equipment; nonelectronic 
2.19 	ballot markers; electronic ballot markers, including electronic ballot display, audio ballot 
2.20 	reader, and devices by which the voter will register the voter's voting intent; software used 
2.21 	to program automatic tabulators and layout ballots; computer programs used to accumulate 
2.22 	precinct results; ballots; secrecy folders; system documentation; and system testing results.

2.23 	Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 2005 Supplement, section 206.61, subdivision 5, is 
2.24 	amended to read:
2.25 		Subd. 5.Alternation. The provisions of the election laws requiring the alternation 
2.26 	of names of candidates must be observed as far as practicable by changing the order 
2.27 	of the names on an electronic voting system in the various precincts so that each name 
2.28 	appears on the machines or marking devices used in a municipality substantially an equal 
2.29 	number of times in the first, last, and in each intermediate place in the list or group in 
2.30 	which they belong. However, the arrangement of candidates' names must be the same 
2.31 	on all voting systems used in the same precinct. If the number of names to be alternated 
2.32 	exceeds the number of precincts, the election official responsible for providing the ballots, 
2.33 	in accordance with subdivision 1, shall determine by lot the alternation of names.
3.1 	If an electronic ballot marker is used with a paper ballot that is not an optical scan 
3.2 	ballot card, the manner of alternation of candidate names on the paper ballot must be as 
3.3 	prescribed for optical scan ballots in this subdivision. If a machine is used to securely 
3.4 	transmit a ballot electronically to automatic tabulating equipment in the polling place, 
3.5 	the manner of alternation of candidate names on the transmitting machine must be as 
3.6 	prescribed for optical scan ballots in this subdivision.

3.7 	Sec. 7. Minnesota Statutes 2005 Supplement, section 206.80, is amended to read:
3.8 	206.80 ELECTRONIC VOTING SYSTEMS.
3.9 	(a) An electronic voting system may not be employed unless it:
3.10 	(1) permits every voter to vote in secret;
3.11 	(2) permits every voter to vote for all candidates and questions for whom or upon 
3.12 	which the voter is legally entitled to vote;
3.13 	(3) provides for write-in voting when authorized;
3.14 	(4) automatically rejects, except as provided in section 206.84 with respect to 
3.15 	write-in votes, all votes for an office or question when the number of votes cast on it 
3.16 	exceeds the number which the voter is entitled to cast;
3.17 	(5) permits a voter at a primary election to select secretly the party for which the 
3.18 	voter wishes to vote;
3.19 	(6) automatically rejects all votes cast in a primary election by a voter when the voter 
3.20 	votes for candidates of more than one party; and
3.21 	(7) provides every voter an opportunity to verify votes recorded on the permanent 
3.22 	paper ballot or paper record, either visually or using assistive voting technology, and to 
3.23 	change votes or correct any error before the voter's ballot is cast and counted, produces 
3.24 	an individual, discrete, permanent, paper ballot or paper record of the ballot cast by the 
3.25 	voter, and preserves the paper ballot or paper record as an official record available for 
3.26 	use in any recount.
3.27 	(b) An electronic voting system purchased on or after June 4, 2005, may not be 
3.28 	employed unless it:
3.29 	(1) accepts and tabulates, in the polling place or at a counting center, a marked 
3.30 	optical scan ballot; or
3.31 	(2) creates a marked optical scan ballot that can be tabulated in the polling place or 
3.32 	at a counting center by automatic tabulating equipment certified for use in this state; or
3.33 	(3) securely transmits a ballot electronically to automatic tabulating equipment in 
3.34 	the polling place while creating an individual, discrete, permanent paper record of each 
3.35 	vote on the ballot.

4.1 	Sec. 8. Minnesota Statutes 2005 Supplement, section 206.805, subdivision 1, is 
4.2 	amended to read:
4.3 		Subdivision 1.Contracts required. (a) The secretary of state, with the assistance 
4.4 	of the commissioner of administration, shall establish one or more state voting systems 
4.5 	contracts. The contracts should, if practical, include provisions for maintenance of the 
4.6 	equipment purchased. The voting systems contracts must address precinct-based optical 
4.7 	scan voting equipment, and ballot marking equipment for persons with disabilities and 
4.8 	other voters, and assistive voting machines that combine voting methods used for persons 
4.9 	with disabilities with precinct-based optical scan voting machines. The contracts must 
4.10 	give the state a perpetual license to use and modify the software. The contracts must 
4.11 	include provisions to escrow the software source code, as provided in subdivision 2. Bids 
4.12 	for voting systems and related election services must be solicited from each vendor selling 
4.13 	or leasing voting systems that have been certified for use by the secretary of state. The 
4.14 	contracts must be renewed from time to time.
4.15 	(b) The secretary of state shall appoint an advisory committee, including 
4.16 	representatives of the state chief information officer, county auditors, municipal clerks who 
4.17 	have had operational experience with the use of electronic voting systems, and members 
4.18 	of the disabilities community to advise the secretary of state in reviewing and evaluating 
4.19 	the merits of proposals submitted from voting equipment vendors for the state contracts.
4.20 	(c) Counties and municipalities may purchase or lease voting systems and obtain 
4.21 	related election services from the state contracts.

4.22 	Sec. 9. Minnesota Statutes 2005 Supplement, section 206.83, is amended to read:
4.23 	206.83 TESTING OF VOTING SYSTEMS.
4.24 	Within 14 days before election day, the official in charge of elections shall have the 
4.25 	voting system tested to ascertain that the system will correctly mark or securely transmit 
4.26 	to automatic tabulating equipment in the polling place ballots using all methods supported 
4.27 	by the system, including through assistive technology, and count the votes cast for all 
4.28 	candidates and on all questions. Public notice of the time and place of the test must be 
4.29 	given at least two days in advance by publication once in official newspapers. The test 
4.30 	must be observed by at least two election judges, who are not of the same major political 
4.31 	party, and must be open to representatives of the political parties, candidates, the press, 
4.32 	and the public. The test must be conducted by (1) processing a preaudited group of ballots 
4.33 	punched or marked to record a predetermined number of valid votes for each candidate 
4.34 	and on each question, and must include for each office one or more ballot cards which 
4.35 	have votes in excess of the number allowed by law in order to test the ability of the voting 
5.1 	system tabulator and electronic ballot marker to reject those votes; and (2) processing an 
5.2 	additional test deck of ballots marked using the electronic ballot marker for the precinct, 
5.3 	including ballots marked or ballots securely transmitted electronically to automatic 
5.4 	tabulating equipment in the polling place using the electronic ballot display, audio ballot 
5.5 	reader, and any assistive voting technology used with the electronic ballot marker. If any 
5.6 	error is detected, the cause must be ascertained and corrected and an errorless count must 
5.7 	be made before the voting system may be used in the election. After the completion of 
5.8 	the test, the programs used and ballot cards must be sealed, retained, and disposed of as 
5.9 	provided for paper ballots.

5.10 	Sec. 10. Minnesota Statutes 2005 Supplement, section 206.90, subdivision 8, is 
5.11 	amended to read:
5.12 		Subd. 8.Duties of election officials. The official in charge of elections in each 
5.13 	municipality where an optical scan voting system is used shall have the electronic ballot 
5.14 	marker that examines and marks votes on ballot cards or the machine that securely 
5.15 	transmits a ballot electronically to automatic tabulating equipment in the polling place
5.16 	and the automatic tabulating equipment that examines and counts votes as ballot cards 
5.17 	are deposited into ballot boxes put in order, set, adjusted, and made ready for voting 
5.18 	when delivered to the election precincts.

5.19 	Sec. 11. [206.91] VOTING MACHINES OPTIONS WORKING GROUP.
5.20 	(a) A working group is hereby established to investigate and recommend to the 
5.21 	legislature requirements for additional options for voting equipment that complies with 
5.22 	the requirements of section 301 of the Help America Vote Act, Public Law 107-252, to 
5.23 	provide private and independent voting for individuals with disabilities.
5.24 	The working group must be cochaired by representatives of the Minnesota Disability 
5.25 	Law Center and Citizens for Election Integrity - Minnesota.
5.26 	(b) The working group must convene its first meeting by June 2006 and must report 
5.27 	to the legislature by February 15, 2007.
5.28 	(c) The working group must include, but is not limited to:
5.29 	(1) the disability community;
5.30 	(2) the secretary of state;
5.31 	(3) county and local election officials;
5.32 	(4) major and minor political parties;
6.1 	(5)(i) one member of the senate majority caucus and one member of the senate 
6.2 	minority caucus appointed by the Subcommittee on Committees of the Committee on 
6.3 	Rules and Administration; and
6.4 	(ii) one member of the house majority caucus and one member of the house minority 
6.5 	caucus appointed by the speaker;
6.6 	(6) nonpartisan organizations;
6.7 	(7) at least one individual with computer security expertise and knowledge of 
6.8 	elections; and 
6.9 	(8) members of the public, other than vendors of election equipment, selected 
6.10 	by consensus of the other members, including representatives of language and other 
6.11 	minorities.
6.12 	(d) Members of the working group will be selected by:
6.13 	(1) a representative of the Office of the Secretary of State;
6.14 	(2) a representative of the county election officials;
6.15 	(3) the cochairs; and 
6.16 	(4) two legislators representing each party.

6.17 	Sec. 12. EFFECTIVE DATE.
 6.18 	Sections 1 to 11 are effective the day following final  enactment.