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A bill for an act
relating to elections; permitting a voter to briefly leave a polling place to address
an unexpected need, at the discretion of the head election judge; amending
Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 204C.13, subdivision 7.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Section 1.
Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 204C.13, subdivision 7, is amended to read:
Subd. 7.
Leaving the polling place.
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(a)
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An individual who has voted or whose ballot
has been rejected shall leave the polling place and shall not return except as provided by
section
204C.06
or
204C.07
.
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(b) A voter with a demonstrated need, who has been issued a ballot but has not yet cast
that ballot, may be permitted to leave the polling place to address that need and return to
the polling place to cast their ballot.
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Before leaving the polling place, the original ballot issued to the voter must be spoiled and
remain in the polling place. The voter must complete a form with their full name, address,
and date of birth. The head judge shall note the time when the voter leaves the polling place.
The form must be initialed by the voter and the head judge.
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Upon the voter's return, the voter must request assistance from the head election judge. The
head judge must retrieve the form completed before the voter's departure and note the time
of the voter's return. After the form is again initialed by the voter and the head judge, the
head election judge must accompany the voter to the ballot table to be issued a new ballot.
The voter must then cast their ballot and is not permitted to re-enter the polling location
after doing so.
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A voter who leaves and does not return must be noted in the incident log by the head election
judge, and used to explain why the number of voters who have checked in at the polling
location does not match the number of ballots cast.
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The secretary of state shall prepare the form required by this subdivision.
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