1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to elections; modifying voter registration provisions for individuals in jail; 
1.3 	requiring the secretary of state to make grants to sheriffs; appropriating money;
1.4 	amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 201.061, subdivision 3; 203B.28; 
1.5 	387.11; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 5.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. [5.306] GRANTS TO COUNTY SHERIFFS.
1.8 	The secretary of state must make grants to sheriffs to implement the plan developed 
1.9 	under section 387.11. Appropriations made for this purpose must be allocated to sheriffs in 
1.10 	direct proportion to the number of jail beds under each sheriff's authority.

1.11 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 201.061, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
1.12 		Subd. 3.Election day registration. (a) An individual who is eligible to vote may register 
1.13 	on election day by appearing in person at the polling place for the precinct in which the 
1.14 	individual maintains residence, by completing a registration application, making an oath in 
1.15 	the form prescribed by the secretary of state and providing proof of residence. An individual 
1.16 	may prove residence for purposes of registering by:
1.17 	(1) presenting a driver's license or Minnesota identification card issued pursuant to 
1.18 	section 171.07;
1.19 	(2) presenting any document approved by the secretary of state as proper identification;
1.20 	(3) presenting a current student fee statement that contains the student's valid address 
1.21 	in the precinct together with a picture identification card; or
2.1 	(4) having a voter who is registered to vote in the precinct, or an employee employed 
2.2 	by and working in a residential facility in the precinct and vouching for a resident in the 
2.3 	facility, sign an oath in the presence of the election judge vouching that the voter or employee 
2.4 	personally knows that the individual is a resident of the precinct. A voter who has been 
2.5 	vouched for on election day may not sign a proof of residence oath vouching for any other 
2.6 	individual on that election day. A voter who is registered to vote in the precinct may sign 
2.7 	up to eight proof-of-residence oaths on any election day. This limitation does not apply to 
2.8 	an employee of a residential facility described in this clause. The secretary of state shall 
2.9 	provide a form for election judges to use in recording the number of individuals for whom 
2.10 	a voter signs proof-of-residence oaths on election day. The form must include space for the 
2.11 	maximum number of individuals for whom a voter may sign proof-of-residence oaths. For 
2.12 	each proof-of-residence oath, the form must include a statement that the individual: (i) is 
2.13 	registered to vote in the precinct or is an employee of a residential facility in the precinct, 
2.14 	(ii) personally knows that the voter is a resident of the precinct, and (iii) is making the 
2.15 	statement on oath. The form must include a space for the voter's printed name, signature, 
2.16 	telephone number, and address.
2.17 	The oath required by this subdivision and Minnesota Rules, part 8200.9939, must be 
2.18 	attached to the voter registration application.
2.19 	(b) The operator of a residential facility shall prepare a list of the names of its employees 
2.20 	currently working in the residential facility and the address of the residential facility. The 
2.21 	operator shall certify the list and provide it to the appropriate county auditor no less than 
2.22 	20 days before each election for use in election day registration.
2.23 	(c) "Residential facility" means transitional housing as defined in section 256K.48, 
2.24 	subdivision 1; a supervised living facility licensed by the commissioner of health under 
2.25 	section 144.50, subdivision 6; a nursing home as defined in section 144A.01, subdivision 
2.26 	5; an assisted living facility licensed by the commissioner of health under chapter 144G; a 
2.27 	veterans home operated by the board of directors of the Minnesota Veterans Homes under 
2.28 	chapter 198; a residence licensed by the commissioner of human services to provide a 
2.29 	residential program as defined in section 245A.02, subdivision 14; a residential facility for 
2.30 	persons with a developmental disability licensed by the commissioner of human services 
2.31 	under section 252.28; setting authorized to provide housing support as defined in section 
2.32 	256I.03, subdivision 10a; a shelter for battered women as defined in section 611A.37, 
2.33 	subdivision 4; a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter or dwelling designed to 
2.34 	provide temporary living accommodations for the homeless; a facility where a provider 
2.35 	operates a residential treatment program as defined in section 245.462, subdivision 23; or
3.1 	a facility where a provider operates an adult foster care program as defined in section 
3.2 	245A.02, subdivision 6c; or a county jail.
3.3 	(d) For tribal band members, an individual may prove residence for purposes of 
3.4 	registering by:
3.5 	(1) presenting an identification card issued by the tribal government of a tribe recognized 
3.6 	by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, United States Department of the Interior, that contains the 
3.7 	name, address, signature, and picture of the individual; or
3.8 	(2) presenting an identification card issued by the tribal government of a tribe recognized 
3.9 	by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, United States Department of the Interior, that contains the 
3.10 	name, signature, and picture of the individual and also presenting one of the documents 
3.11 	listed in Minnesota Rules, part 8200.5100, subpart 2, item B.
3.12 	(e) For eligible voters in jail on election day, the individual may prove residence for 
3.13 	purposes of registering by using the address listed on the individual's intake form.
3.14 	(f) A county, school district, or municipality may require that an election judge 
3.15 	responsible for election day registration initial each completed registration application.

3.16 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 203B.28, is amended to read:
3.17 	203B.28 POSTELECTION REPORT TO LEGISLATURE.
3.18 	By January 15 of every odd-numbered year, the secretary of state shall must provide to 
3.19 	the chair and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over 
3.20 	elections a statistical report related to absentee voting in the most recent general election 
3.21 	cycle. The statistics must be organized by county, and include:
3.22 	(1) the number of absentee ballots transmitted to voters;
3.23 	(2) the number of absentee ballots returned by voters;
3.24 	(3) the number of absentee ballots that were rejected, categorized by the reason for 
3.25 	rejection;
3.26 	(4) the number of absentee ballots submitted pursuant to sections 203B.16 to 203B.27, 
3.27 	along with the number of returned ballots that were accepted, rejected, and the reason for 
3.28 	any rejections; and
3.29 	(5) the number of absentee ballots that were not counted because the ballot return 
3.30 	envelope was received after the deadlines provided in this chapter.; and
4.1 	(6) information on the efforts made by sheriffs to facilitate voting for those in jail on 
4.2 	the date of a primary or general election, as reported to the secretary of state in accordance 
4.3 	with section 387.11.

4.4 	Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 387.11, is amended to read:
4.5 	387.11 COUNTY JAIL.
4.6 	(a) The sheriff shall must have the charge and custody of the county jail and receive and 
4.7 	safely keep therein all persons lawfully committed thereto and not release any person 
4.8 	therefrom unless discharged by due course of law.
4.9 	(b) The sheriff must develop a plan, in consultation with the county auditor, on how to 
4.10 	provide voter education and assistance on registering to vote and voting by mail for eligible 
4.11 	voters in jail on the day of a primary or general election. The sheriff must designate a staff 
4.12 	person as the jail voting coordinator who is responsible for distributing and collecting voting 
4.13 	materials and facilitating voting for those in jail on the date of a primary or general election. 
4.14 	By November 30 of every even-numbered year, each sheriff must report to the secretary of 
4.15 	state on the actions taken and the resulting number of individuals who sought to vote and 
4.16 	the result of those requests.
4.17 	(c) If an eligible voter in jail expresses the desire to vote by absentee ballot, the jail staff 
4.18 	must ensure that the individual is allowed, during normal business hours, to use a telephone 
4.19 	to contact the county auditor to request an absentee ballot application or request assistance 
4.20 	with absentee voting.

4.21 	Sec. 5. APPROPRIATION.
 4.22 	$2,500,000 in fiscal year 2027 is appropriated from the general fund to the secretary of 
4.23 	state to make grants to county sheriffs under Minnesota Statutes, section 5.306. The base 
4.24 	for this appropriation is $0 in fiscal year 2028 and each even-numbered fiscal year thereafter. 
4.25 	The base for this appropriation is $2,500,000 in fiscal year 2029 and each odd-numbered 
4.26 	year thereafter.