1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to elections; allowing school boards to give school credit for serving as a 
1.3 	trainee election judge; requiring appointing authorities to recruit bilingual high 
1.4 	school students to serve as trainee election judges; appropriating money;amending 
1.5 	Minnesota Statutes 2020, sections 204B.19, subdivision 6; 204B.21, subdivision 
1.6 	2.
1.7 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.8 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 204B.19, subdivision 6, is amended to read:
1.9 		Subd. 6.High school students. Notwithstanding any other requirements of this section, 
1.10 	a student enrolled in a high school in Minnesota or who is in a home school in compliance 
1.11 	with sections 120A.22 and 120A.24, who has attained the age of 16 is eligible to be appointed 
1.12 	as a without party affiliation trainee election judge, without party affiliation, in the county 
1.13 	in which the student resides, or a county adjacent to the county in which the student resides. 
1.14 	The student must meet qualifications for trainee election judges specified in rules of the 
1.15 	secretary of state. A student appointed as a trainee election judge may be excused from 
1.16 	school attendance during the hours that the student is serving as a trainee election judge if 
1.17 	the student submits a written request signed and approved by the student's parent or guardian 
1.18 	to be absent from school and a certificate from the appointing authority stating the hours 
1.19 	during which the student will serve as a trainee election judge to the principal of the school 
1.20 	at least ten days prior to the election. Students shall not serve as trainee election judges after 
1.21 	10:00 p.m. Notwithstanding section 177.24 to the contrary, trainee election judges may be 
1.22 	paid not less than two-thirds of the minimum wage for a large employer. The principal of 
1.23 	the school may approve a request to be absent from school conditioned on acceptable 
1.24 	academic performance at the time of service as a trainee election judge. A school board 
2.1 	may determine that students are eligible to receive credit for serving as a trainee election 
2.2 	judge.

2.3 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 204B.21, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
2.4 		Subd. 2.Appointing authority; powers and duties. (a) Election judges for precincts 
2.5 	in a municipality shall be appointed by the governing body of the municipality. Election 
2.6 	judges for precincts in unorganized territory and for performing election-related duties 
2.7 	assigned by the county auditor shall be appointed by the county board. Election judges for 
2.8 	a precinct composed of two or more municipalities must be appointed by the governing 
2.9 	body of the municipality or municipalities responsible for appointing election judges as 
2.10 	provided in the agreement to combine for election purposes.
2.11 	(b) Except as otherwise provided in this section, appointments shall be made from the 
2.12 	list of voters who reside in each precinct, furnished pursuant to subdivision 1, subject to the 
2.13 	eligibility requirements and other qualifications established or authorized under section 
2.14 	204B.19. At least two election judges in each precinct must be affiliated with different major 
2.15 	political parties.
2.16 	(c) If no lists have been furnished or if additional election judges are required after all 
2.17 	listed names in that municipality have been exhausted, the appointing authority may appoint 
2.18 	other individuals who meet the qualifications to serve as an election judge, including persons 
2.19 	on the list furnished pursuant to subdivision 1 who indicated a willingness to travel to the 
2.20 	municipality, and persons who are not affiliated with a major political party. An individual 
2.21 	who is appointed from a source other than the list furnished pursuant to subdivision 1 must 
2.22 	provide to the appointing authority the individual's major political party affiliation or a 
2.23 	statement that the individual does not affiliate with any major political party. An individual 
2.24 	who refuses to provide the individual's major political party affiliation or a statement that 
2.25 	the individual does not affiliate with a major political party must not be appointed as an 
2.26 	election judge.
2.27 	(d) The appointing authority must, whenever possible, recruit bilingual high school 
2.28 	students to serve as trainee election judges pursuant to section 204B.19.
2.29 	(e) The appointments shall be made at least 25 days before the election at which the 
2.30 	election judges will serve, except that the appointing authority may pass a resolution 
2.31 	authorizing the appointment of additional election judges within the 25 days before the 
2.32 	election if the appointing authority determines that additional election judges will be required.

3.1 	Sec. 3. APPROPRIATION.
 3.2 	$500,000 in fiscal year 2022 is appropriated from the general fund to the secretary of 
3.3 	state for grants to political subdivisions to recruit bilingual election judges and bilingual 
3.4 	trainee election judges. Notwithstanding Minnesota Statutes, section 16A.28, this 
3.5 	appropriation is available until June 30, 2023.