1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to elections; allowing absentee ballot applications to be submitted 
1.3 	electronically for certain standalone local elections;amending Minnesota Statutes 
1.4 	2023 Supplement, section 203B.04, subdivision 1.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2023 Supplement, section 203B.04, subdivision 1, is amended 
1.7 	to read:
1.8 		Subdivision 1.Application procedures. (a) Except as otherwise allowed by subdivision 
1.9 	2 or by section 203B.11, subdivision 4, an application for absentee ballots for any election 
1.10 	may be submitted at any time not less than one day before the day of that election. The 
1.11 	county auditor shall prepare absentee ballot application forms in the format provided by the 
1.12 	secretary of state and shall furnish them to any person on request. By January 1 of each 
1.13 	even-numbered year, the secretary of state shall make the forms to be used available to 
1.14 	auditors through electronic means. An application submitted pursuant to this subdivision 
1.15 	shall be in writing. An application may be submitted in person, by electronic facsimile 
1.16 	device, by electronic mail, or by mail to:
1.17 	(1) the county auditor of the county where the applicant maintains residence; or
1.18 	(2) the municipal clerk of the municipality, or school district if applicable, where the 
1.19 	applicant maintains residence.
1.20 	For a federal, state, or county election, (b) an absentee ballot application may alternatively 
1.21 	be submitted electronically through a secure website that shall be maintained by the secretary 
1.22 	of state for this purpose. Notwithstanding paragraph (b) (d), the secretary of state must 
1.23 	require applicants using the website to submit the applicant's email address and verifiable 
2.1 	Minnesota driver's license number, Minnesota state identification card number, or the last 
2.2 	four digits of the applicant's Social Security number. This paragraph does not apply to a 
2.3 	town election held in March.
2.4 	(c) An application submitted electronically under this paragraph may only be transmitted 
2.5 	to the county auditor for processing if the secretary of state has verified the application 
2.6 	information matches the information in a government database associated with the applicant's 
2.7 	driver's license number, state identification card number, or Social Security number. The 
2.8 	secretary of state must review all unverifiable applications for evidence of suspicious activity 
2.9 	and must forward any such application to an appropriate law enforcement agency for 
2.10 	investigation.
2.11 	(b) (d) An application shall be approved if it is timely received, signed and dated by the 
2.12 	applicant, contains the applicant's name and residence and mailing addresses, date of birth, 
2.13 	and at least one of the following:
2.14 	(1) the applicant's Minnesota driver's license number;
2.15 	(2) Minnesota state identification card number;
2.16 	(3) the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security number; or
2.17 	(4) a statement that the applicant does not have any of these numbers.
2.18 	(c) (e) To be approved, the application must contain an oath that the information contained 
2.19 	on the form is accurate, that the applicant is applying on the applicant's own behalf, and 
2.20 	that the applicant is signing the form under penalty of perjury.
2.21 	(d) (f) An applicant's full date of birth, Minnesota driver's license or state identification 
2.22 	number, and the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security number must not be made 
2.23 	available for public inspection. An application may be submitted to the county auditor or 
2.24 	municipal clerk by an electronic facsimile device. An application mailed or returned in 
2.25 	person to the county auditor or municipal clerk on behalf of a voter by a person other than 
2.26 	the voter must be deposited in the mail or returned in person to the county auditor or 
2.27 	municipal clerk within ten days after it has been dated by the voter and no later than six 
2.28 	days before the election.
2.29 	(e) (g) An application under this subdivision may contain an application under subdivision 
2.30 	5 to automatically receive an absentee ballot.

2.31 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective September 1, 2025, and applies to 
2.32 	elections held on or after November 4, 2025.

3.1 	Sec. 2. REVISOR INSTRUCTION.
 3.2 	The revisor of statutes must correct all cross-references to the paragraphs that were 
3.3 	relettered in Minnesota Statutes, section 203B.04, subdivision 1, as provided in section 1.

3.4 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective September 1, 2025.