1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to elections; requiring the secretary of state to prepare and distribute a 
1.3 	voter information guide prior to each statewide general election; providing a dispute 
1.4 	resolution procedure; authorizing rulemaking;proposing coding for new law as 
1.5 	Minnesota Statutes, chapter 213.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. [213.01] DEFINITIONS.
1.8 	(a) For purposes of this chapter, the terms in this section have the meanings given.
1.9 	(b) "Candidate" means an individual whose name is or is expected to be printed on the 
1.10 	official ballot.
1.11 	(c) "Guide" means the voter information guide as prescribed in this section.
1.12 	(d) "Measure" means a proposed amendment to the Minnesota Constitution submitted 
1.13 	to the people for their approval or rejection at an election.

1.14 	Sec. 2. [213.02] DISTRIBUTION AND POSTING OF VOTER INFORMATION 
1.15 	GUIDE.
1.16 		Subdivision 1.Distribution. (a) The secretary of state shall print and distribute a voter 
1.17 	information guide for every statewide general election as provided in this section. Not less 
1.18 	than 53 days before the general election, the secretary of state shall mail:
1.19 	(1) one printed copy of the voter information guide to every household where at least 
1.20 	one registered voter resides, as indicated by the statewide voter registration system at the 
1.21 	time of the mailing;
2.1 	(2) at least one copy to each public library in the state;
2.2 	(3) copies to each public college and university in the state; and
2.3 	(4) one or more copies to any other location the secretary deems appropriate.
2.4 	(b) A voter information guide is not required to be mailed to a voter who registered after 
2.5 	the 29th day before an election.
2.6 	(c) The secretary must make additional printed copies available upon request.
2.7 		Subd. 2.Posting. (a) Not less than 53 days before the general election, the secretary of 
2.8 	state must post a copy of the voter information guide on the secretary's website.
2.9 	(b) Consistent with section 213.03, the secretary of state must make the material required 
2.10 	to be distributed by this chapter available to the public in electronic form.

2.11 	Sec. 3. [213.03] ACCESSIBILITY.
2.12 	(a) The guide must, to the extent reasonably practicable:
2.13 	(1) be written in English and the three most commonly spoken non-English languages 
2.14 	as determined by the state demographer;
2.15 	(2) explain in each language that an electronic copy of the guide is publicly available in 
2.16 	those languages; and
2.17 	(3) provide the website address where the guide in each language can be found.
2.18 	(b) The statements required or permitted by paragraph (a) must be clearly readable. The 
2.19 	secretary of state must post an electronic version of the voter information guide on the 
2.20 	secretary's website.
2.21 	(c) The secretary of state shall prepare a recording of the voter information guide and 
2.22 	must make the recording available in English to any voter upon request, without cost.

2.23 	Sec. 4. [213.04] FORMAT; CONTENTS.
2.24 		Subdivision 1.Format and layout. (a) The secretary of state shall determine the format 
2.25 	and layout of the voter information guide. The guide must be printed in clear, readable type 
2.26 	on a size, quality, and weight of paper that, in the judgment of the secretary of state, best 
2.27 	serves the voters. The guide must contain a table of contents.
2.28 	(b) The secretary of state shall allocate space in the guide based on the number of 
2.29 	candidates or nominees for each office.
3.1 	(c) Pages on which candidates' photographs or statements appear must be clearly 
3.2 	identified with the words "Images and statements provided by the candidate."
3.3 		Subd. 2.Voter and election information. (a) The voter information guide must include 
3.4 	the following information:
3.5 	(1) the eligibility requirements for voting;
3.6 	(2) when a voter is required to register or update a voter registration;
3.7 	(3) a statement on the front or back cover of the voter information guide that voters may 
3.8 	take the guide into the polling place; and
3.9 	(4) any other information the secretary of state considers relevant to the conduct of the 
3.10 	election.
3.11 	(b) The voter information guide may include the following information:
3.12 	(1) maps showing the boundaries of state senate and state house of representatives 
3.13 	districts;
3.14 	(2) a voter registration form;
3.15 	(3) an absentee ballot application form; and
3.16 	(4) a copy of the Voter's Bill of Rights in section 204C.08, subdivision 1d.
3.17 		Subd. 3.Candidate and constitutional amendment information. (a) The voter 
3.18 	information guide must contain:
3.19 	(1) information about each proposed state constitutional amendment as required by 
3.20 	section 213.05;
3.21 	(2) a candidate statement and contact information, if submitted, from each candidate for 
3.22 	the offices of president and vice president of the United States, United States senator, United 
3.23 	States representative, governor and lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, 
3.24 	attorney general, state senator, state representative, justice of the supreme court, judge of 
3.25 	the state court of appeals, and judge of the district court;
3.26 	(3) contact information for the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, including 
3.27 	the following statement: "For a list of the people and organizations that donated to statewide, 
3.28 	legislative and judicial campaigns, visit cfb.mn.gov." The statement must be placed in a 
3.29 	prominent position, such as the first two pages of the voter information guide. The secretary 
3.30 	of state may modify the wording as is necessary for accuracy and clarity and consistent with 
3.31 	the intent of this section;
4.1 	(4) contact information for each major political party;
4.2 	(5) a list of each college and university in Minnesota, and their campus vote coordinator 
4.3 	and their contact information;
4.4 	(6) information on accessing an electronic copy of the voter information guide; and
4.5 	(7) any additional information pertaining to elections as may be required by law or rule.
4.6 	(b) If a candidate does not submit a candidate statement pursuant to this section, the 
4.7 	document shall include with the candidate's listing the words "No statement submitted."
4.8 		Subd. 4.Party preference. The voter information guide must list the political party 
4.9 	affiliation or political principle for each candidate appearing on the ballot, as identified on 
4.10 	the candidate's affidavit of candidacy or nominating petition. This subdivision does not 
4.11 	apply to judicial candidates.
4.12 		Subd. 5.Name of secretary of state, county auditor, or municipal clerk. The name 
4.13 	of the secretary of state, county auditor, or municipal clerk may not appear in the voter 
4.14 	information guide in their official capacity if the secretary, county auditor, or municipal 
4.15 	clerk is a candidate at the election for which the voter information guide is printed.

4.16 	Sec. 5. [213.05] CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROVISIONS.
4.17 	(a) A state constitutional amendment proposal must be printed in the voter information 
4.18 	guide so that language proposed for deletion is enclosed by double parentheses and has a 
4.19 	line through it. Proposed new language must be underlined. A statement explaining the 
4.20 	deletion and addition of language must appear as follows: "Any language in double 
4.21 	parentheses with a line through it is the existing state constitution and will be taken out of 
4.22 	the constitution if this measure is approved by voters. Any underlined language does not 
4.23 	appear in the existing state constitution but will be added to the constitution if this measure 
4.24 	is approved by voters."
4.25 	(b) The voter information guide must provide the following information for each state 
4.26 	constitutional amendment proposal:
4.27 	(1) the bill numbers from the senate and house of representatives;
4.28 	(2) the official ballot title of the constitutional amendment proposal;
4.29 	(3) the total number of votes cast for and against the measure in the senate and house 
4.30 	of representatives, broken down by political party; and
4.31 	(4) the full text of the measure.

5.1 	Sec. 6. [213.06] ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM.
5.2 	The secretary of state by rule shall adopt an electronic filing system to allow photographs 
5.3 	and statements to be filed electronically.

5.4 	Sec. 7. [213.07] PHOTOGRAPHS; REQUIREMENTS.
5.5 	(a) All photographs of candidates submitted for publication must conform to standards 
5.6 	established by the secretary of state by rule. No photograph may reveal clothing or insignia 
5.7 	suggesting the holding of a public office. A candidate may not submit for inclusion in the 
5.8 	voter information guide a photograph that was taken more than four years before the date 
5.9 	the photograph is filed with the secretary of state. A photograph submitted for inclusion in 
5.10 	the guide must:
5.11 	(1) be a conventional photograph with a plain background;
5.12 	(2) show the face or the head, neck, and shoulders of the candidate; and
5.13 	(3) be prepared and processed for printing as prescribed by the secretary of state.
5.14 	(b) A photograph submitted for inclusion in the voter information guide may not:
5.15 	(1) include the hands or anything held in the hands of the candidate;
5.16 	(2) show the candidate wearing a judicial robe, a hat, or a military, police, or fraternal 
5.17 	uniform; or
5.18 	(3) show the uniform or insignia of any organization.
5.19 	(c) A photograph may include a hat or head covering that is religious in nature.
5.20 	(d) The secretary of state shall prescribe by rule the size and manner of placement of 
5.21 	the photograph printed in the voter information guide, except that the size of the printed 
5.22 	photograph shall not be smaller than 1.5 inches by 1.75 inches. The rule shall apply in the 
5.23 	same manner to all candidates for the same nomination or office.
5.24 	(e) All photographs shall be printed in black and white, but may be submitted by 
5.25 	candidates to the secretary of state in color.
5.26 	(f) Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor must submit two photographs as a 
5.27 	combined ticket: one of the candidate for governor and one of the candidate for lieutenant 
5.28 	governor. Candidates for president and vice president must submit two photographs as a 
5.29 	combined ticket: one of the candidate for president and one of the candidate for vice 
5.30 	president.

6.1 	Sec. 8. [213.08] CANDIDATE STATEMENTS.
6.2 	(a) The maximum number of words for statements submitted by candidates is as follows:
6.3 	(1) state representative, state senator, district court judge, 100 words;
6.4 	(2) judge of the court of appeals, justice of the supreme court, secretary of state, attorney 
6.5 	general, state auditor, 200 words; and
6.6 	(3) president and vice president, United States senator, United States representative, 
6.7 	governor and lieutenant governor, 300 words.
6.8 	(b) Governor and lieutenant governor candidates shall submit one statement as a combined 
6.9 	ticket. President and vice president candidates shall submit one statement as a combined 
6.10 	ticket.

6.11 	Sec. 9. [213.10] DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF CANDIDATE STATEMENTS 
6.12 	AND PHOTOGRAPHS.
6.13 	The secretary of state may, by rule, set a deadline for submission of candidate statements 
6.14 	and photographs for inclusion in the voter information guide. The deadline for submission 
6.15 	of candidate statements and photographs must not be earlier than ten days immediately 
6.16 	following the deadline for filing affidavits of candidacy.

6.17 	Sec. 10. [213.11] REJECTION OR DISPUTE OF CANDIDATE STATEMENTS.
6.18 		Subdivision 1.References to other candidates. A candidate must not identify or 
6.19 	reference another candidate running for office at the same election in their candidate 
6.20 	statement. The secretary of state shall not include any portion of a candidate statement that 
6.21 	violates this subdivision.
6.22 		Subd. 2.Obscene or other prohibited material. If in the opinion of the secretary of 
6.23 	state any candidate statement submitted for inclusion in the voter information guide is 
6.24 	obscene or contains matter that is otherwise prohibited by law from distribution through 
6.25 	the mail, the secretary may petition the Minnesota Court of Administrative Hearings for a 
6.26 	determination that the argument or statement may be rejected for publication or edited to 
6.27 	delete the matter. The court shall not enter such an order unless it concludes that the matter 
6.28 	is obscene or otherwise prohibited for distribution through the mail.
6.29 		Subd. 3.Resolution of disputes. Parties to a dispute under this section may agree to 
6.30 	resolve the dispute by rephrasing the statement. The secretary shall promptly provide any 
6.31 	such revision to all parties of the dispute.
7.1 		Subd. 4.Court of Administrative Hearings procedure. In an action under this section 
7.2 	the campaign committee or candidate must be named as a defendant and may be served 
7.3 	with process by certified mail directed to the address contained in the secretary's records 
7.4 	for that party. The Court of Administrative Hearings shall give such an action priority on 
7.5 	its calendar.

7.6 	Sec. 11. [213.12] RULEMAKING.
7.7 	The secretary of state may adopt rules necessary to facilitate the administration of this 
7.8 	chapter.

7.9 	Sec. 12. EFFECTIVE DATE.
 7.10 	This act is effective January 1, 2027.