1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to elections; extending the deadline for
1.3 	submitting voter registration applications; clarifying
1.4 	documents acceptable to prove residence; specifying
1.5 	form of voter registration application; authorizing
1.6 	registered voters to withhold their name from the
1.7 	public information list; requiring notice to
1.8 	individuals whose civil rights have been restored;
1.9 	regulating conduct and requiring training of polling
1.10 	place challengers; adding to the Voter's Bill of
1.11 	Rights; allowing ex-felons to leave a polling place
1.12 	and return; amending Minnesota Statutes 2004, sections
1.13 	201.061, subdivisions 1, 3, by adding a subdivision;
1.14 	201.071, subdivision 1; 201.091, subdivision 4;
1.15 	201.155; 204C.06, subdivision 2; 204C.07, subdivision
1.16 	4, by adding a subdivision; 204C.08, subdivision 1a;
1.17 	204C.12, subdivisions 2, 4.
1.18 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.19 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 201.061,
1.20 	subdivision 1, is amended to read:
1.21 		Subdivision 1.Prior to election day.  At any time except
1.22 	during the 20 days immediately preceding any election, an
1.23 	eligible voter or any individual who will be an eligible voter
1.24 	at the time of the next election may register to vote in the
1.25 	precinct in which the voter maintains residence by completing a
1.26 	voter registration application as described in section 201.071,
1.27 	subdivision 1, and submitting it in person or by mail to the
1.28 	county auditor of that county or to the Secretary of State's
1.29 	Office.  A registration that is received no later than 5:00 p.m.
1.30 	on the 21st day preceding any election shall be accepted.  An
1.31 	improperly addressed or delivered registration application shall
2.1 	be forwarded within two working days after receipt to the county
2.2 	auditor of the county where the voter maintains residence.  A
2.3 	state or local agency or an individual that accepts from anyone
2.4 	a completed voter registration applications from application
2.5 	signed and dated by a voter must submit the completed
2.6 	applications application to the secretary of state or the
2.7 	appropriate county auditor within ten 15 business days after the
2.8 	applications are application was dated by the voter.
2.9 	For purposes of this section, mail registration is defined
2.10 	as a voter registration application delivered to the secretary
2.11 	of state, county auditor, or municipal clerk by the United
2.12 	States Postal Service or a commercial carrier.

2.13 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 201.061,
2.14 	subdivision 3, is amended to read:
2.15 		Subd. 3.Election day registration.  An individual who is
2.16 	eligible to vote may register on election day by appearing in
2.17 	person at the polling place for the precinct in which the
2.18 	individual maintains residence, by completing a registration
2.19 	application, making an oath in the form prescribed by the
2.20 	secretary of state and providing proof of residence.  An
2.21 	individual may prove residence for purposes of registering by:
2.22 	(1) presenting a driver's license or Minnesota
2.23 	identification card issued pursuant to section 171.07;
2.24 	(2) presenting a current and valid photo identification
2.25 	that shows the name and address of the voter;
2.26 	(3) presenting a copy of a current utility bill, wireless
2.27 	telephone bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or
2.28 	other government document that shows the name and address of the
2.29 	voter;
2.30 	(4) presenting any document approved by the secretary of
2.31 	state as proper identification;
2.32 	(3) (5) presenting one of the following:
2.33 	(i) a current valid student identification card from a
2.34 	postsecondary educational institution in Minnesota, if a list of
2.35 	students from that institution has been prepared under section
2.36 	135A.17 and certified to the county auditor in the manner
3.1 	provided in rules of the secretary of state; or 
3.2 	(ii) a current student fee statement that contains the
3.3 	student's valid address in the precinct together with a picture
3.4 	identification card; or 
3.5 	(iii) a copy of a current student registration card that
3.6 	contains the student's valid address in the precinct;or
3.7 	(4) (6) having a voter who is registered to vote in the
3.8 	precinct, or who is an employee employed by and working in a
3.9 	residential facility in the precinct as provided in subdivision
3.10 	3a,sign an oath in the presence of the election judge vouching
3.11 	that the voter or employee personally knows that the individual
3.12 	is a resident of the precinct.  A voter who has been vouched for
3.13 	on election day may not sign a proof of residence oath vouching
3.14 	for any other individual on that election day.
3.15 	For tribal band members living on an Indian reservation, an
3.16 	individual may prove residence for purposes of registering by
3.17 	presenting an identification card issued by the tribal
3.18 	government of a tribe recognized by the Bureau of Indian
3.19 	Affairs, United States Department of the Interior, that contains
3.20 	the name, street address, signature, and picture of the
3.21 	individual. The county auditor of each county having territory
3.22 	within the reservation shall maintain a record of the number of
3.23 	election day registrations accepted under this section.
3.24 	A county, school district, or municipality may require that
3.25 	an election judge responsible for election day registration
3.26 	initial each completed registration application.

3.27 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 201.061, is
3.28 	amended by adding a subdivision to read:
3.29 		Subd. 3a.Residential facility employee vouchers. (a) As
3.30 	used in subdivision 3, "residential facility" means transitional
3.31 	housing as defined in section 119A.43, subdivision 1; a
3.32 	supervised living facility licensed by the commissioner of
3.33 	health under section 144.50, subdivision 6; a nursing home as
3.34 	defined in section 144A.01, subdivision 5; a residence
3.35 	registered with the commissioner of health as a housing with
3.36 	services establishment as defined in section 144D.01,
4.1 	subdivision 4; a veterans home operated by the board of
4.2 	directors of the Minnesota veterans homes under chapter 198; a
4.3 	residence licensed by the commissioner of human services to
4.4 	provide a residential program as defined in section 245A.02,
4.5 	subdivision 14; a residential facility for persons with a
4.6 	developmental disability licensed by the commissioner of human
4.7 	services under section 252.28; group residential housing as
4.8 	defined in section 256I.03, subdivision 3; a shelter for
4.9 	battered women as defined in section 611A.37, subdivision 4; or
4.10 	a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter or dwelling
4.11 	designed to provide temporary living accommodations for the
4.12 	homeless.
4.13 	(b) The operator of a residential facility shall prepare a
4.14 	list of the names of its employees currently working in the
4.15 	residential facility and the address of the residential
4.16 	facility.  The operator shall certify the list and provide it to
4.17 	the appropriate county auditor no less than 20 days before each
4.18 	election for use in election day registration.

4.19 	Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 201.071,
4.20 	subdivision 1, is amended to read:
4.21 		Subdivision 1.Form.  A voter registration application
4.22 	must be of suitable size and weight for mailing and contain
4.23 	spaces for the following required information:  voter's first
4.24 	name, middle name, and last name; voter's previous name, if any;
4.25 	voter's current address; voter's previous address, if any;
4.26 	voter's date of birth; voter's municipality and county of
4.27 	residence; voter's telephone number, if provided by the voter;
4.28 	date of registration; current and valid Minnesota driver's
4.29 	license number or Minnesota state identification number, or if
4.30 	the voter has no current and valid Minnesota driver's license or
4.31 	Minnesota state identification, the last four digits of the
4.32 	voter's Social Security number; and voter's signature.  The
4.33 	registration application may include the voter's e-mail address,
4.34 	if provided by the voter, and the voter's interest in serving as
4.35 	an election judge, if indicated by the voter.  The application
4.36 	must also contain the following certification of voter
5.1 	eligibility:
5.2 	"I certify that I:
5.3 	(1) will be at least 18 years old on election day;
5.4 	(2) am a citizen of the United States;
5.5 	(3) will have resided in Minnesota for 20 days immediately
5.6 	preceding election day;
5.7 	(4) maintain residence at the address given on the
5.8 	registration form;
5.9 	(5) am not under court-ordered guardianship of the person
5.10 	where I have not retained the right to vote;
5.11 	(6) have not been found by a court to be legally
5.12 	incompetent to vote;
5.13 	(7) have not the right to vote because, if I have been
5.14 	convicted of a felony without having my civil rights restored , I
5.15 	have completed my probation or parole; and
5.16 	(8) have read and understand the following statement:  that
5.17 	giving false information is a felony punishable by not more than
5.18 	five years imprisonment or a fine of not more than $10,000, or
5.19 	both."
5.20 	The certification must include boxes for the voter to
5.21 	respond to the following questions:
5.22 	"(1) Are you a citizen of the United States?" and
5.23 	"(2) Will you be 18 years old on or before election day?"
5.24 	And the instruction:
5.25 	"If you checked 'no' to either of these questions, do not
5.26 	complete this form."
5.27 	The voter registration application must set forth the
5.28 	deadline under section 201.061, subdivision 1, for returning a
5.29 	voter registration application after it is dated by the voter.
5.30 	Text on the voter registration application must be printed
5.31 	in black ink.
5.32 	The form of the voter registration application and the
5.33 	certification of voter eligibility must be as provided in this
5.34 	subdivision and approved by the secretary of state.  Voter
5.35 	registration forms authorized by the National Voter Registration
5.36 	Act may also be accepted as valid.
6.1 	An individual may use a voter registration application to
6.2 	apply to register to vote in Minnesota or to change information
6.3 	on an existing registration.

6.4 	Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 201.091,
6.5 	subdivision 4, is amended to read:
6.6 		Subd. 4.Public information lists.  The county auditor
6.7 	shall make available for inspection a public information list
6.8 	which must contain the name, address, year of birth, and voting
6.9 	history of each registered voter in the county.  The telephone
6.10 	number must be included on the list if provided by the voter.
6.11 	The public information list may also include information on
6.12 	voting districts.  The county auditor may adopt reasonable rules
6.13 	governing access to the list.  No individual inspecting the
6.14 	public information list shall tamper with or alter it in any
6.15 	manner.  No individual who inspects the public information list
6.16 	or who acquires a list of registered voters prepared from the
6.17 	public information list may use any information contained in the
6.18 	list for purposes unrelated to elections, political activities,
6.19 	or law enforcement.  The secretary of state may provide copies
6.20 	of the public information lists and other information from the
6.21 	statewide registration system for uses related to elections,
6.22 	political activities, or in response to a law enforcement
6.23 	inquiry from a public official concerning a failure to comply
6.24 	with any criminal statute or any state or local tax statute.
6.25 	Before inspecting the public information list or obtaining
6.26 	a list of voters or other information from the list, the
6.27 	individual shall provide identification to the public official
6.28 	having custody of the public information list and shall state in
6.29 	writing that any information obtained from the list will not be
6.30 	used for purposes unrelated to elections, political activities,
6.31 	or law enforcement.  Requests to examine or obtain information
6.32 	from the public information lists or the statewide registration
6.33 	system must be made and processed in the manner provided in the
6.34 	rules of the secretary of state.
6.35 	Upon receipt of a written request and a copy of the court
6.36 	order, the secretary of state and county auditor must withhold
7.1 	from the public information list the name of any a registered
7.2 	voter placed under court-ordered protection.

7.3 	Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 201.155, is
7.4 	amended to read:
7.5 	201.155 REPORT ON FELONY CONVICTIONS.
7.6 	Pursuant to the Help America Vote Act of 2002, Public Law
7.7 	107-252, the state court administrator shall report monthly by
7.8 	electronic means to the secretary of state the name, address,
7.9 	date of birth, date of sentence, effective date of the sentence,
7.10 	and county in which the conviction occurred of each person who
7.11 	has been convicted of a felony.  The state court administrator
7.12 	shall also report the name, address, and date of birth of each
7.13 	person previously convicted of a felony whose civil rights have
7.14 	been restored. Within two weeks after receiving the report from
7.15 	the state court administrator,the secretary of state shall
7.16 	determine if any of the persons in the report is registered to
7.17 	vote and shall prepare and send to each county auditor a list of
7.18 	those registrants for each in that county auditor.  The county
7.19 	auditor shall change the status of those registrants in the
7.20 	appropriate manner in the statewide registration system. The
7.21 	secretary of state shall also prepare and send to the county
7.22 	auditor in their county of residence a list of persons in the
7.23 	report who are not registered to vote.  Within two weeks after
7.24 	receiving the lists from the secretary of state, the county
7.25 	auditor shall mail to each person whose civil rights have been
7.26 	restored a notice to that effect.  For persons not registered to
7.27 	vote, the notice must be accompanied by a voter registration
7.28 	application.

7.29 	Sec. 7. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 204C.06,
7.30 	subdivision 2, is amended to read:
7.31 		Subd. 2.Individuals allowed in polling place;
7.32 	identification.  (a) Representatives of the secretary of state's
7.33 	office, the county auditor's office, and the municipal or school
7.34 	district clerk's office may be present at the polling place to
7.35 	observe election procedures.  Except for these representatives,
7.36 	election judges, sergeants-at-arms, and challengers, an
8.1 	individual may remain inside the polling place during voting
8.2 	hours only while voting or registering to vote, providing proof
8.3 	of residence for an individual who is registering to vote, or
8.4 	assisting a handicapped voter or a voter who is unable to read
8.5 	English.  During voting hours no one except individuals
8.6 	receiving, marking, or depositing ballots shall approach within
8.7 	six feet of a voting booth, unless lawfully authorized to do so
8.8 	by an election judge.
8.9 	(b) Teachers and elementary or secondary school students
8.10 	participating in an educational activity authorized by section
8.11 	204B.27, subdivision 7, may be present at the polling place
8.12 	during voting hours.
8.13 	(c) Each official on duty in the polling place must wear an
8.14 	identification badge that shows their role in the election
8.15 	process.  The badge must not show their party affiliation.

8.16 	Sec. 8. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 204C.07,
8.17 	subdivision 4, is amended to read:
8.18 		Subd. 4.Restrictions on conduct. An election judge may
8.19 	not be appointed as a challenger.The election judges shall
8.20 	permit challengers appointed pursuant to this section to be
8.21 	present in the polling place during the hours of voting and to
8.22 	remain there until the votes are counted and the results
8.23 	declared.  No challenger shall handle or inspect registration
8.24 	cards, files, or lists.  Challengers shall not prepare in any
8.25 	manner any list of individuals who have or have not voted.  They
8.26 	shall not attempt to influence voting in any manner.  They shall
8.27 	not converse with a voter except to determine, in the presence
8.28 	of an election judge, whether the voter is eligible to vote in
8.29 	the precinct.

8.30 	Sec. 9. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 204C.07, is
8.31 	amended by adding a subdivision to read:
8.32 		Subd. 5.Challenger training. (a) The secretary of state
8.33 	shall adopt rules for training challengers as required by this
8.34 	subdivision.
8.35 	(b) At least once every two years, the secretary of state
8.36 	shall provide training in accordance with the rules of the
9.1 	secretary of state for all challengers who are appointed to
9.2 	serve at any election to be held in this state.  The secretary
9.3 	of state shall also provide a procedure for emergency training
9.4 	of challengers appointed to fill vacancies.  The secretary of
9.5 	state may delegate to a county or municipal election official
9.6 	the duty to provide training of challengers in that county,
9.7 	municipality, or school district.
9.8 	(c) No individual may serve as a challenger who has not
9.9 	received at least two hours of training within the last two
9.10 	years as required by this subdivision.
9.11 	(d) Each major political party must reimburse the secretary
9.12 	of state, county auditor, or municipal clerk for the cost of
9.13 	training challengers appointed by that major political party.

9.14 	Sec. 10. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 204C.08,
9.15 	subdivision 1a, is amended to read:
9.16 		Subd. 1a.Voter's bill of rights.  The county auditor
9.17 	shall prepare and provide to each polling place sufficient
9.18 	copies of a poster setting forth the Voter's Bill of Rights as
9.19 	set forth in this section.  Before the hours of voting are
9.20 	scheduled to begin, the election judges shall post it in a
9.21 	conspicuous location or locations in the polling place.  The
9.22 	Voter's Bill of Rights is as follows:
9.23 	"VOTER'S BILL OF RIGHTS
9.24 	For all persons residing in this state who meet federal
9.25 	voting eligibility requirements:
9.26 	(1) You have the right to be absent from work for the
9.27 	purpose of voting during the morning of election day.
9.28 	(2) If you are in line at your polling place any time
9.29 	between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., you have the right to vote.
9.30 	(3) If you can provide the required proof of residence, you
9.31 	have the right to register to vote and to vote on election day.
9.32 	(4) If you are unable to sign your name, you have the right
9.33 	to orally confirm your identity with an election judge and to
9.34 	direct another person to sign your name for you.
9.35 	(5) You have the right to request special assistance when
9.36 	voting.
10.1 	(6) If you need assistance, you may be accompanied into the
10.2 	voting booth by a person of your choice, except by an agent of
10.3 	your employer or union or a candidate.
10.4 	(7) You have the right to bring your minor children into
10.5 	the polling place and into the voting booth with you.
10.6 	(8) If you have been convicted of a felony but your civil
10.7 	rights have been restored have completed your probation or
10.8 	parole, you have the right to vote.
10.9 	(9) You have the right to vote without anyone in the
10.10 	polling place trying to influence your vote.
10.11 	(10) If you make a mistake or spoil your ballot before it
10.12 	is submitted, you have the right to receive a replacement ballot
10.13 	and vote.
10.14 	(11) You have the right to file a written complaint at your
10.15 	polling place if you are dissatisfied with the way an election
10.16 	is being run.
10.17 	(12) You have the right to take a sample ballot into the
10.18 	voting booth with you.
10.19 	(13) You have the right to take a copy of this Voter's Bill
10.20 	of Rights into the voting booth with you."

10.21 	Sec. 11. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 204C.12,
10.22 	subdivision 2, is amended to read:
10.23 		Subd. 2.Statement of grounds; oath.  The challenger
10.24 	shall state the ground for the challenge, and in writing, under
10.25 	oath, and based on the challenger's personal knowledge.An
10.26 	election judge shall administer to the challenged individual the
10.27 	following oath:
10.28 	"Do you solemnly swear that you will fully and truly answer
10.29 	all questions put to you concerning your eligibility to vote at
10.30 	this election?"
10.31 	The election judge shall then ask the challenged individual
10.32 	sufficient questions to test that individual's residence and
10.33 	right to vote.

10.34 	Sec. 12. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 204C.12,
10.35 	subdivision 4, is amended to read:
10.36 		Subd. 4.Refusal to answer questions or sign a polling
11.1 	place roster.  A challenged individual who refuses to answer
11.2 	questions or sign a polling place roster as required by this
11.3 	section must not be allowed to vote.  A challenged individual
11.4 	who leaves the polling place and returns later willing to answer
11.5 	questions or sign a polling place roster must not be allowed to
11.6 	vote, except an individual challenged because of a prior
11.7 	conviction of a felony.