1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to elections; establishing a local election expense reimbursement account; 
1.3 	modifying the voting equipment grant account; requiring a report; appropriating 
1.4 	money;amending Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 206.95; proposing coding for 
1.5 	new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 204B.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. [204B.50] LOCAL ELECTION EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT.
1.8 	(a) A local election expense reimbursement account is established in the special revenue 
1.9 	fund. Funds in the account are appropriated to the secretary of state to make reimbursements 
1.10 	to counties and municipalities as provided in this section. Funds in the account are available 
1.11 	until spent.
1.12 	(b) The secretary of state must reimburse counties and municipalities for expenses 
1.13 	incurred in the administration of elections using available funds in the local election expense 
1.14 	reimbursement account. The following expenses are eligible for reimbursement: preparation 
1.15 	and printing of ballots; postage for absentee ballots; publication of the sample ballot; 
1.16 	preparation of polling places in an amount not to exceed $150 per polling place; preparation 
1.17 	of electronic voting systems in an amount not to exceed $100 per precinct; compensation 
1.18 	for temporary staff or overtime payments; salaries of election judges; compensation of 
1.19 	county canvassing board members; and other expenses as approved by the secretary of state.
1.20 	(c) By January 31 of each odd-numbered year, the county auditor or municipal clerk 
1.21 	must submit a request for payment of the costs incurred by the county or municipality for 
1.22 	conducting elections for the previous two years. The request for payment must be submitted 
1.23 	to the secretary of state and must be accompanied by an itemized description of actual 
2.1 	county or municipal expenditures, including copies of invoices. In addition, the county 
2.2 	auditor or municipal clerk must certify that the request for reimbursement is based on actual 
2.3 	costs incurred by the county or municipality in the election.
2.4 	(d) The secretary of state must provide each county and municipality with the appropriate 
2.5 	forms for requesting payment and certifying expenses under this subdivision. The secretary 
2.6 	of state must not reimburse expenses unless the request for payment and certification of 
2.7 	costs has been submitted as provided in this subdivision.
2.8 	(e) The secretary of state must reimburse 80 percent of the costs submitted by each 
2.9 	county and municipality. If there are not sufficient funds to reimburse applicants for 80 
2.10 	percent of the costs submitted, the secretary of state must reduce all reimbursement 
2.11 	proportionally. The secretary of state must complete the issuance of reimbursements to the 
2.12 	counties and municipalities no later than April 1 of each odd-numbered year.
2.13 	(f) By May 1 of each odd-numbered year, the secretary of state must submit a report to 
2.14 	the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction 
2.15 	over elections policy on reimbursements made pursuant to this section. The report must 
2.16 	include the amount each jurisdiction received.

2.17 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 206.95, is amended to read:
2.18 	206.95 VOTING EQUIPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT ACCOUNT.
2.19 		Subdivision 1.Voting equipment and infrastructure grant account. A voting 
2.20 	equipment and infrastructure grant account is established in the special revenue fund. Funds 
2.21 	in the account are appropriated to the secretary of state to provide grants to political 
2.22 	subdivisions as authorized by this section. Funds in the account are available until expended
2.23 	spent.
2.24 		Subd. 2.Authorized equipment purposes. A political subdivision may apply to receive 
2.25 	a grant under this section for the purchase or lease of the following:
2.26 	(1) an electronic voting system, or any individual components of an electronic voting 
2.27 	system as provided in section 206.56, subdivision 8;
2.28 	(2) assistive voting technology;
2.29 	(3) an electronic roster system meeting the technology requirements of section 201.225, 
2.30 	subdivision 2; and
2.31 	(4) hardware or software for election-related purposes;
2.32 	(5) cybersecurity for election-related purposes;
3.1 	(6) security-related infrastructure for election-related purposes; and
3.2 	(7) any other equipment or technology approved by the secretary of state for use in 
3.3 	conducting a state or local election in Minnesota consistent with the requirements of law.
3.4 		Subd. 3.Application. (a) The secretary of state may make a grant from the account to 
3.5 	a political subdivision only after receiving an application from the political subdivision. 
3.6 	The application must contain the following information:
3.7 	(1) the date the application is submitted;
3.8 	(2) the name of the political subdivision;
3.9 	(3) the name and title of the individual who prepared the application;
3.10 	(4) if the application is for equipment described in subdivision 2, clauses 1 to 3:
3.11 	(i) the type of voting system currently used in each precinct in the political subdivision;
3.12 	and
3.13 	(5) (ii) the date the system currently used was acquired and at what cost;
3.14 	(6) (5) the total number of registered voters, as of the date of the application, in each 
3.15 	precinct in the political subdivision;
3.16 	(7) (6) the total amount of the grant requested;
3.17 	(8) (7) the total amount and source of the political subdivision's money to be used to 
3.18 	match a grant from the account;
3.19 	(9) (8) the type of voting system equipment or infrastructure to be acquired with the 
3.20 	grant money and, if the application is for a voting system, whether the voting system will 
3.21 	permit individuals with disabilities to cast a secret ballot;
3.22 	(10) (9) the proposed schedule for purchasing and implementing using the new voting 
3.23 	system and equipment or infrastructure;
3.24 	(10) where the equipment or infrastructure would be used, including, where applicable, 
3.25 	the precincts in which the new voting system equipment or infrastructure would be used;
3.26 	(11) whether the political subdivision has previously applied for a grant from the account 
3.27 	and the disposition of that application;
3.28 	(12) a certified statement by the political subdivision that the grant will be used only to 
3.29 	purchase authorized equipment or infrastructure under subdivision 2 and that the political 
3.30 	subdivision has insufficient resources to purchase the voting system without obtaining a 
3.31 	grant from the account;
4.1 	(13) a statement of why the political subdivision needs the equipment or infrastructure; 
4.2 	and
4.3 	(13) (14) any other information required by the secretary of state.
4.4 	(b) The secretary of state must establish a deadline for receipt of grant applications, a 
4.5 	procedure for awarding and distributing grants, and a process for verifying the proper use 
4.6 	of the grants after distribution.
4.7 		Subd. 4.Amount of grant. A political subdivision is eligible to receive a grant of no 
4.8 	more than 75 80 percent of the total cost of electronic roster equipment and 50 percent of 
4.9 	the total cost of all other equipment or technology equipment or infrastructure authorized 
4.10 	for a grant under subdivision 2. In evaluating the application, the secretary of state shall 
4.11 	consider only the information set forth in the application and is not subject to chapter 14. 
4.12 	If the secretary of state determines that the application has been fully and properly completed, 
4.13 	and that there is a sufficient balance in the account to fund the grant, either in whole or in 
4.14 	part, the secretary of state may approve the application.
4.15 		Subd. 5.Report to legislature. No later than By January 15, 2018, and annually thereafter 
4.16 	until the appropriations provided for grants under this section have been exhausted, of each 
4.17 	year, the secretary of state must submit a report to the legislative committees with jurisdiction 
4.18 	over elections policy on grants awarded by this section. The report must detail each grant 
4.19 	awarded, including the jurisdiction, the amount of the grant, and the type of equipment 
4.20 	purchased.

4.21 	Sec. 3. APPROPRIATIONS.
 4.22 	(a) $....... in fiscal year 2024 and $....... in fiscal year 2025 are transferred from the general 
4.23 	fund to the local election expense reimbursement account in the special revenue fund 
4.24 	established under Minnesota Statutes, section 204B.50. The base for this transfer in fiscal 
4.25 	year 2026 is $........
4.26 	(b) $....... in fiscal year 2024 and $....... in fiscal year 2025 are transferred from the general 
4.27 	fund to the voting equipment and infrastructure grant account in the special revenue fund 
4.28 	established under Minnesota Statutes, section 206.95. The base for this transfer in fiscal 
4.29 	year 2026 is $........