1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to elections; changing certain absentee voting requirements;amending 
1.3 	Minnesota Statutes 2008, sections 201.022, subdivision 1; 203B.02, subdivision 
1.4 	1; 203B.085; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 203B.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 201.022, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
1.7 		Subdivision 1.Establishment. The secretary of state shall maintain a statewide 
1.8 	voter registration system to facilitate voter registration and to provide a central database 
1.9 	containing voter registration information from around the state. The system must be 
1.10 	accessible to the county auditor of each county in the state. The system must also:
1.11 	(1) provide for voters to submit their voter registration applications to any county 
1.12 	auditor, the secretary of state, or the Department of Public Safety;
1.13 	(2) provide for the definition, establishment, and maintenance of a central database 
1.14 	for all voter registration information;
1.15 	(3) provide for entering data into the statewide registration system;
1.16 	(4) provide for electronic transfer of completed voter registration applications from 
1.17 	the Department of Public Safety to the secretary of state or the county auditor;
1.18 	(5) assign a unique identifier to each legally registered voter in the state;
1.19 	(6) provide for the acceptance of the Minnesota driver's license number, Minnesota 
1.20 	state identification number, and last four digits of the Social Security number for each 
1.21 	voter record;
1.22 	(7) coordinate with other agency databases within the state;
1.23 	(8) allow county auditors and the secretary of state to add or modify information in 
1.24 	the system to provide for accurate and up-to-date records;
2.1 	(9) allow county auditors, municipal and school district clerks, and the secretary 
2.2 	of state to have electronic access to the statewide registration system for review and 
2.3 	search capabilities;
2.4 	(10) provide security and protection of all information in the statewide registration 
2.5 	system and ensure that unauthorized access is not allowed;
2.6 	(11) provide access to municipal clerks to use the system;
2.7 	(12) provide a system for each county to identify the precinct to which a voter 
2.8 	should be assigned for voting purposes;
2.9 	(13) provide daily reports accessible by county auditors on the driver's license 
2.10 	numbers, state identification numbers, or last four digits of the Social Security numbers 
2.11 	submitted on voter registration applications that have been verified as accurate by the 
2.12 	secretary of state; and
2.13 	(14) provide reports on the number of absentee ballots transmitted to and returned 
2.14 	and cast by voters under section 203B.16.; and
2.15 	(15) provide rosters, master lists, and other reports necessary for voting in person 
2.16 	prior to election day.
2.17 	The appropriate state or local official shall provide security measures to prevent 
2.18 	unauthorized access to the computerized list established under section 201.021.  

2.19 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 203B.02, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
2.20 		Subdivision 1.Unable to go to Absence from polling place. (a) Any eligible voter 
2.21 	who reasonably expects to be unable to go to absent from the polling place on election 
2.22 	day in the precinct where the individual maintains residence because of absence from the 
2.23 	precinct; illness, including isolation or quarantine under sections 144.419 to 144.4196
2.24 	or United States Code, title 42, sections 264 to 272; disability; religious discipline; 
2.25 	observance of a religious holiday; or service as an election judge in another precinct may 
2.26 	vote by absentee ballot in person at any location where absentee ballots may be cast as 
2.27 	provided in sections 203B.081, 203B.085, and 203B.086, during the eight days preceding 
2.28 	any election. This subdivision does not apply to a special election to fill a vacancy in 
2.29 	office pursuant to sections 204D.17 to 204D.27 not held concurrently with a state primary 
2.30 	or general election as provided in sections 203B.04 to 203B.15. 
2.31 	(b) If the governor has declared an emergency and filed the declaration with the 
2.32 	secretary of state under section 12.31, and the declaration states that the emergency has 
2.33 	made it difficult for voters to go to the polling place on election day, any voter in a precinct 
2.34 	covered by the declaration  and any eligible voter who reasonably expects to be unable 
2.35 	to go to the polling place on election day in the precinct where the individual maintains 
3.1 	residence because of absence from the precinct, illness, disability, religious discipline, 
3.2 	observance of a religious holiday, or service as an election judge in another precinct may 
3.3 	vote by absentee ballot in person or by mail during the 30 days preceding an election as 
3.4 	provided in sections 203B.04 to 203B.15. 

3.5 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 203B.085, is amended to read:
3.6 	203B.085 COUNTY AUDITOR'S AND MUNICIPAL CLERK'S OFFICES TO 
3.7 	REMAIN OPEN DURING CERTAIN HOURS PRECEDING ELECTION.
3.8 	The county auditor's office in each county and the clerk's office in each city or 
3.9 	town authorized under section 203B.05 to administer absentee balloting must be open for 
3.10 	acceptance of absentee ballot applications and casting of absentee ballots from 10:00 a.m. 
3.11 	to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday and until 5:00 p.m. 12:00 noon on the day immediately preceding 
3.12 	a primary, special, or general election unless that day falls on a Saturday or Sunday. Town 
3.13 	clerks' offices must be open for absentee voting from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on the 
3.14 	Saturday before a town general election held in March. The school district clerk, when 
3.15 	performing the county auditor's election duties, need not comply with this section.  

3.16 	Sec. 4. [203B.086] PROCEDURES FOR ABSENTEE VOTING IN PERSON.
3.17 		Subdivision 1.Voting procedure. Voters must sign a roster of absentee voters that 
3.18 	must include the certification provided in section 204C.10. Persons who are not registered 
3.19 	to vote must register in the manner provided in section 201.061, subdivision 3. After the 
3.20 	roster has been signed, the appropriate ballot for the voter's precinct, initialed by two 
3.21 	election judges, must be provided to the voter. The ballot must be marked by the voter 
3.22 	and deposited in either a precinct voting system or in a sealed ballot box. A voter may 
3.23 	not leave the polling place with the ballot.
3.24 		Subd. 2.Record of voting. The county auditor shall provide the municipal clerks 
3.25 	with the names of persons who have signed the roster of absentee voters, which must be 
3.26 	marked no later than 7:00 a.m. on election day to indicate the voters who have cast an 
3.27 	absentee ballot in person. The rosters may be marked either by the municipal clerk prior 
3.28 	to election day or by the election judges on election day. A voter who has cast an absentee 
3.29 	ballot in person and deposited it in a ballot box or ballot counter must not be permitted to 
3.30 	vote at the polling place on election day. An absentee ballot received by mail from a voter 
3.31 	who has cast an absentee ballot in person must be rejected by the election judges.
3.32 		Subd. 3.Counting and compiling votes. Prior to election day, the county auditor 
3.33 	shall remove the voted ballots from the ballot box or precinct voting system, sort the 
3.34 	ballots by precinct, and enclose them in a sealed envelope or container. If the ballots have 
4.1 	not been counted, they must be delivered either to the election judges at the appropriate 
4.2 	polling place or to the counting center prior to the close of voting on election day. Ballots 
4.3 	that have been counted must be securely stored by the county auditor or municipal clerk 
4.4 	with the balance of the ballots from each respective precinct and the vote totals from these 
4.5 	ballots must be added to the results from the polling place.
4.6 	No vote totals from in-person absentee voting may be made public until the close 
4.7 	of voting on election day.