HF 4664

as introduced - 92nd Legislature (2021 - 2022) Posted on 03/30/2022 01:11pm

A bill for an act
relating to elections; modifying certain requirements for absentee ballot drop boxes;
amending Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 203B.28; Minnesota Statutes 2021
Supplement, section 203B.082, subdivision 2, by adding a subdivision.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2021 Supplement, section 203B.082, subdivision 2, is
amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Minimum security and integrity standards.

The county auditor or municipal
clerk may provide locations at which a voter may deposit a completed absentee ballot
enclosed in the completed signature envelope in a secure drop box, consistent with the
following security and integrity standards:

new text begin (1) at least one location must be provided for every 50,000 registered voters in the
jurisdiction. If there are fewer than 50,000 registered voters in the jurisdiction, the county
auditor or municipal clerk must provide at least one location;
new text end

new text begin (2) if more than one location is required, the locations must be distributed in a manner
that ensures equitable access to the drop boxes among all voters in the jurisdiction;
new text end

new text begin (3) at the request of a federally recognized Tribe with a reservation in the county, the
county auditor must establish at least one ballot drop box on the reservation on a site selected
by the Tribe that is accessible to the county auditor by a public road;
new text end

deleted text begin (1) deleted text end new text begin (4) new text end each drop box must be continually recorded during the absentee voting period;

deleted text begin (2) deleted text end new text begin (5) new text end each drop box must be designed to prevent an unauthorized person from moving,
removing, or tampering with the drop box;

deleted text begin (3) deleted text end new text begin (6) new text end each drop box placed in an outdoor location must be fastened to a building, bolted
to a concrete pad, or otherwise attached to a similarly secure structure;

deleted text begin (4) deleted text end new text begin (7) new text end ballots deposited in a drop box must be secured against access by any unauthorized
person, and in the case of a drop box located in an outdoor location, the drop box must be
secured against damage due to weather or other natural conditions;

new text begin (8) each drop box must be assigned an identification number that is unique to that drop
box;
new text end

deleted text begin (5) deleted text end new text begin (9) new text end each drop box must contain signage or markings that:

(i) clearly identifies the drop box as an official absentee ballot return location; deleted text begin and
deleted text end

new text begin (ii) include the statement: "You can only return your own ballot in this drop box.";
new text end

deleted text begin (ii) deleted text end new text begin (iii) new text end include the location and hours where an agent may return an absentee ballot; new text begin
and
new text end

new text begin (iv) include the identification number assigned to the drop box;
new text end

deleted text begin (6) deleted text end new text begin (10) new text end deposited ballots must be collected at least once per business day during the
absentee voting period by the county auditor, municipal clerk, or an elections official trained
by the county auditor or municipal clerk in the proper maintenance and handling of absentee
ballots and absentee ballot drop boxes, and in the security measures used to protect absentee
ballots; and

deleted text begin (7) deleted text end new text begin (11) new text end ballots collected from each drop box must be properly date-stamped and stored
in a locked ballot container or other secured and locked space consistent with any applicable
laws governing the collection and storage of absentee ballots.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2021 Supplement, section 203B.082, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Ballot collection log and report. new text end

new text begin The county auditor or municipal clerk must
maintain a log for each drop box. The log must include the unique identification number
assigned to the drop box. The log must include the following information for each day
during the absentee voting period:
new text end

new text begin (1) the date and time of each ballot collection;
new text end

new text begin (2) the person who collected the ballots; and
new text end

new text begin (3) the number of ballots collected.
new text end

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 203B.28, is amended to read:

203B.28 POSTELECTION REPORT TO LEGISLATURE.

By January 15 of every odd-numbered year, the secretary of state shall provide to the
chair and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over
elections a statistical report related to absentee voting in the most recent general election
cycle. The statistics must be organized by county, and include:

(1) the number of absentee ballots transmitted to voters;

(2) the number of absentee ballots returned by voters;

(3) the number of absentee ballots that were rejected, categorized by the reason for
rejection;

(4) the number of absentee ballots submitted pursuant to sections 203B.16 to 203B.27,
along with the number of returned ballots that were accepted, rejected, and the reason for
any rejections; deleted text begin and
deleted text end

(5) the number of absentee ballots that were not counted because the ballot return
envelope was received after the deadlines provided in this chapter deleted text begin . deleted text end new text begin ; and
new text end

new text begin (6) the number of absentee ballots by method of return including drop box, mail,
in-person, and direct balloting.
new text end