Minnesota Session Laws - 2014, Regular Session

CHAPTER 238--H.F.No. 2265

An act

relating to elections; voters; authorizing secretary of state to obtain certain data from Department of Public Safety; authorizing secretary of state to share certain data;

amending Minnesota Statutes 2012, sections 171.12, subdivision 7a; 201.13, subdivision 3.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 171.12, subdivision 7a, is amended to read:

Subd. 7a.

Disclosure of personal information.

The commissioner shall disclose personal information where the use is related to the operation of a motor vehicle or to public safety. The use of personal information is related to public safety if it concerns the physical safety or security of drivers, vehicles, pedestrians, or property. The commissioner may refuse to disclose data under this subdivision when the commissioner concludes that the requester is likely to use the data for illegal, improper, or noninvestigative purposes. new text begin The commissioner shall disclose personal information to the secretary of state for the purpose of increasing voter registration and improving the accuracy of voter registration records in the statewide voter registration system. The secretary of state may not retain data provided by the commissioner under this subdivision for more than 60 days. new text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 201.13, subdivision 3, is amended to read:

Subd. 3.

Use of change of address system.

(a) At least once each month the secretary of state shall obtain a list of individuals registered to vote in this state who have filed with the United States Postal Service a change of their permanent address. new text begin The secretary of state may also periodically obtain a list of individuals with driver's licenses or state identification cards to identify those who are registered to vote who have applied to the Department of Public Safety for a replacement driver's license or state identification card with a different address, and a list of individuals for whom the Department of Public Safety received notification of a driver's license or state identification card cancellation due to a change of residency out of state. new text end However, the secretary of state shall not load data derived from deleted text begin this list deleted text end new text begin these lists new text end into the statewide voter registration system within the 47 days before the state primary or 47 days before a November general election.

(b) If the address is changed to another address in this state, the secretary of state shall locate the precinct in which the voter resides, if possible. If the secretary of state is able to locate the precinct in which the voter resides, the secretary must transmit the information about the changed address by electronic means to the county auditor of the county in which the new address is located. new text begin For addresses for which the secretary of state is unable to determine the precinct, the secretary may forward information to the appropriate county auditors for individual review. new text end If the voter has not voted or submitted a voter registration application since the address change, upon receipt of the information, the county auditor shall update the voter's address in the statewide voter registration system. The county auditor shall mail to the voter a notice stating the voter's name, address, precinct, and polling place, unless the voter's record is challenged due to a felony conviction, noncitizenship, name change, incompetence, or a court's revocation of voting rights of individuals under guardianship, in which case the auditor must not mail the notice. The notice must advise the voter that the voter's voting address has been changed and that the voter must notify the county auditor within 21 days if the new address is not the voter's address of residence. The notice must state that it must be returned if it is not deliverable to the voter at the named address.

(c) If the change of permanent address is to an address outside this state, the secretary of state shall notify by electronic means the auditor of the county where the voter formerly resided that the voter has moved to another state. If the voter has not voted or submitted a voter registration application since the address change, the county auditor shall promptly mail to the voter at the voter's new address a notice advising the voter that the voter's status in the statewide voter registration system will be changed to "inactive" unless the voter notifies the county auditor within 21 days that the voter is retaining the former address as the voter's address of residence, except that if the voter's record is challenged due to a felony conviction, noncitizenship, name change, incompetence, or a court's revocation of voting rights of individuals under guardianship, the auditor must not mail the notice. If the notice is not received by the deadline, the county auditor shall change the voter's status to "inactive" in the statewide voter registration system.

new text begin (d) If, in order to maintain voter registration records, the secretary of state enters an agreement to share information or data with an organization governed exclusively by a group of states, the secretary must first determine that the data security protocols are sufficient to safeguard the information or data shared. If required by such an agreement, the secretary of state may share the following data from the statewide voter registration system and data released to the secretary of state under section 171.12, subdivision 7a: new text end

new text begin (1) name; new text end

new text begin (2) date of birth; new text end

new text begin (3) address; new text end

new text begin (4) driver's license or state identification card number; new text end

new text begin (5) the last four digits of an individual's Social Security number; and new text end

new text begin (6) the date that an individual's record was last updated. new text end

new text begin If the secretary of state enters into such an agreement, the secretary and county auditors must process changes to voter records based upon that data in accordance with this section. Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, when data is shared with the secretary of state by another state, the secretary of state must maintain the same data classification that the data had while it was in the possession of the state providing the data. new text end

Sec. 3.

new text begin USE OF FUNDS. new text end

new text begin During the biennium ending June 30, 2015, the secretary of state may not use any funds appropriated to the office, other than appropriations of federal funds or grant funds, for purposes of an agreement to share information or data related to voter registration records with an organization governed exclusively by a group of states. During the biennium ending June 30, 2015, any grant funds received by the secretary of state from an organization qualified under the Internal Revenue Code, section 501(c)(3), for purposes of such an agreement are deposited in an account in the special revenue fund and are appropriated to the secretary of state for purposes of the agreement. The secretary of state must promptly report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative finance committees with jurisdiction over the secretary of state on grant funds received. new text end

Sec. 4.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This act is effective the day following final enactment. new text end

Presented to the governor May 9, 2014

Signed by the governor May 13, 2014, 12:01 p.m.