HF 462

as introduced - 79th Legislature (1995 - 1996) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             proposing an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution, 
  1.3             article VII, section 1; allowing 16 and 17 year olds 
  1.4             to vote in school district elections; amending 
  1.5             Minnesota Statutes 1994, sections 201.014, subdivision 
  1.6             1; 201.071, subdivision 1; 201.13, subdivision 1; 
  1.7             201.14; and 201.15, subdivision 1. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9                              ARTICLE 1
  1.10     Section 1.  [CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.] 
  1.11     An amendment to the Minnesota Constitution, article VII, 
  1.12  section 1 is proposed to the people.  If the amendment is 
  1.13  adopted, article VII, section 1, will read: 
  1.14     Section 1.  Every person 18 years of age or more who has 
  1.15  been a citizen of the United States for three months and who has 
  1.16  resided in the precinct for 30 days next preceding an election 
  1.17  shall be entitled to vote in that precinct.  Every person 16 
  1.18  years of age or more who has been a citizen of the United States 
  1.19  for three months and who has resided in the precinct for 30 days 
  1.20  next preceding an election shall be entitled to vote in that 
  1.21  precinct in a school district election.  The place of voting by 
  1.22  one otherwise qualified who has changed his residence within 30 
  1.23  days preceding the election shall be prescribed by law.  The 
  1.24  following persons shall not be entitled or permitted to vote at 
  1.25  any election in this state:  A person not meeting the above 
  1.26  requirements; a person who has been convicted of treason or 
  2.1   felony, unless restored to civil rights; a person under 
  2.2   guardianship, or a person who is insane or not mentally 
  2.3   competent. 
  2.4      Sec. 2.  [SCHEDULE AND QUESTION.] 
  2.5      The amendment shall be submitted to the people at the 1996 
  2.6   general election. 
  2.7      The question submitted to the people shall be:  "Shall the 
  2.8   Minnesota Constitution be amended to permit 16 and 17 year olds 
  2.9   to vote in school district elections? 
  2.10                                     Yes .......
  2.11                                     No ........"
  2.12     Election procedures shall be as provided by law. 
  2.13                             ARTICLE 2
  2.14     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 201.014, 
  2.15  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  2.16     Subdivision 1.  [REQUIREMENTS.] Except as provided in 
  2.17  subdivision 2, an individual who meets the following 
  2.18  requirements at the time of an election is eligible to vote.  
  2.19  The individual must:  
  2.20     (a) Be 18 years of age or older; 
  2.21     (b) Be a citizen of the United States; and 
  2.22     (c) Maintain residence in Minnesota for 20 days immediately 
  2.23  preceding the election. 
  2.24  An individual 16 years of age or older at the time of an 
  2.25  election who meets the requirements of clauses (b) and (c) is 
  2.26  eligible to vote in a school district election.  
  2.27     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 201.071, 
  2.28  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  2.29     Subdivision 1.  [FORM.] A registration card must be of 
  2.30  suitable size and weight for mailing and contain spaces for the 
  2.31  following required information:  voter's first name, middle 
  2.32  name, and last name; voter's previous name, if any; voter's 
  2.33  current address; voter's previous address, if any; voter's date 
  2.34  of birth; voter's municipality and county of residence; voter's 
  2.35  telephone number; date of registration; and voter's signature.  
  2.36  The card must also contain the following certification:  I 
  3.1   certify that I will be at least 18 years old on election day or 
  3.2   at least 16 years old the day of a school district election and 
  3.3   am a citizen of the United States, that I reside at the address 
  3.4   shown and will have resided in Minnesota for 20 days immediately 
  3.5   preceding election day, and that I am not under guardianship of 
  3.6   the person, have not been found by a court to be legally 
  3.7   incompetent to vote, and have not been convicted of a felony 
  3.8   without having my civil rights restored.  I understand that 
  3.9   giving false information to procure a registration is a felony 
  3.10  punishable by not more than five years imprisonment and a fine 
  3.11  of not more than $10,000, or both. 
  3.12     The form of the voter registration card must be as provided 
  3.13  in the rules of the secretary of state. 
  3.14     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 201.13, 
  3.15  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  3.16     Subdivision 1.  [COMMISSIONER OF HEALTH, REPORTS OF 
  3.17  DECEASED RESIDENTS.] The commissioner of health shall report 
  3.18  monthly to the secretary of state the name, address, date of 
  3.19  birth, and county of residence of each individual 18 16 years of 
  3.20  age or older who has died while maintaining residence in 
  3.21  Minnesota since the last previous report.  The secretary of 
  3.22  state shall determine if any of the persons listed in the report 
  3.23  are registered to vote and shall prepare a list of those 
  3.24  registrants for each county auditor.  Within 60 days after 
  3.25  receiving the list from the secretary of state, the county 
  3.26  auditor shall change the status of those registrants to 
  3.27  "deceased" in the statewide registration system and remove from 
  3.28  the files the registration cards of the voters reported to be 
  3.29  deceased. 
  3.30     Sec. 4.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 201.14, is 
  3.31  amended to read: 
  3.32     201.14 [COURT ADMINISTRATOR OF DISTRICT COURT, REPORT 
  3.33  CHANGES OF NAMES.] 
  3.34     The court administrator of district court in each county 
  3.35  shall report monthly to the county auditor the name and address 
  3.36  of each individual, 18 16 years of age or over, who maintains 
  4.1   residence in that county and whose name was changed during the 
  4.2   month preceding the date of the report, by marriage, divorce or 
  4.3   any order or decree of the court.  Upon receipt of the report, 
  4.4   the county auditor shall notify by mail each registered voter 
  4.5   whose name was changed that it will be necessary to reregister 
  4.6   under the changed name in order to vote. 
  4.7      Sec. 5.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 201.15, 
  4.8   subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  4.9      Subdivision 1.  [GUARDIANSHIPS, INCOMPETENTS AND 
  4.10  PSYCHOPATHS.] The court administrator in each county shall 
  4.11  report monthly to the county auditor the name and address of 
  4.12  each individual 18 16 years of age or over, who maintains 
  4.13  residence in that county and who, during the month preceding the 
  4.14  date of the report:  
  4.15     (a) was placed under a guardianship of the person; 
  4.16     (b) adjudged legally incompetent by reason of mental 
  4.17  illness, mental deficiency, or inebriation; or 
  4.18     (c) was adjudged a sexually dangerous person or a person 
  4.19  with a sexual psychopathic personality.  
  4.20     The judge shall also report the same information for each 
  4.21  individual transferred to the jurisdiction of the court who 
  4.22  meets a condition specified in clause (a), (b) or (c).  Upon 
  4.23  receipt of the report, the county auditor shall determine 
  4.24  whether any individual named in the report is registered to 
  4.25  vote.  The county auditor shall change the status on the record 
  4.26  in the statewide registration system of any individual named in 
  4.27  the report to indicate that the individual is not eligible to 
  4.28  reregister or vote.  
  4.29     Sec. 6.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  4.30     Sections 1 to 5 are effective January 1, 1997, if the 
  4.31  amendment proposed in article 1 is adopted.