Voter verification required before mail delivery of an absentee ballot.

A bill for an act

relating to elections; requiring voter verification before mail delivery of an absentee

ballot; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 203B.04, subdivision 5;

Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 203B.04, subdivision 1.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 203B.04, subdivision 1, is amended

to read:

Subdivision 1.

Application procedures.

(a) Except as otherwise allowed by subdivision

2 or by section
203B.11, subdivision 4
, an application for absentee ballots for any election

may be submitted at any time not less than one day before the day of that election. The

county auditor shall prepare absentee ballot application forms in the format provided by the

secretary of state and shall furnish them to any person on request. By January 1 of each

even-numbered year, the secretary of state shall make the forms to be used available to

auditors through electronic means. An application submitted pursuant to this subdivision

shall be in writing. An application may be submitted in person, by electronic facsimile

device, by electronic mail, or by mail to:

(1) the county auditor of the county where the applicant maintains residence; or

(2) the municipal clerk of the municipality, or school district if applicable, where the

applicant maintains residence.

(b) An absentee ballot application may alternatively be submitted electronically through

a secure website that shall be maintained by the secretary of state for this purpose.

Notwithstanding paragraph (d), the secretary of state must require applicants using the

website to submit the applicant's email address and the applicant's:

(1) verifiable Minnesota driver's license number or Minnesota state identification card

number; and

(2) the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security number.

If an applicant does not possess both types of documents, the applicant must include the

number for one type of document and must affirmatively certify that the applicant does not

possess the other type of documentation. This paragraph does not apply to a town election

held in March.

(c) An application submitted electronically under paragraph (b) may only be transmitted

to the county auditor for processing if the secretary of state has verified the application

information matches the information in a government database associated with the applicant's

driver's license number, state identification card number, or Social Security number. The

secretary of state must review all unverifiable applications for evidence of suspicious activity

and must forward any such application to an appropriate law enforcement agency for

investigation.

(d)
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Subject to paragraphs (e) and (f),
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an application shall be approved if it is timely

received, signed and dated by the applicant, contains the applicant's name and residence

and mailing addresses, date of birth, and at least one of the following:

(1) the applicant's Minnesota driver's license number;

(2) Minnesota state identification card number;

(3) the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security number; or

(4) a statement that the applicant does not have any of these numbers.

(e) To be approved, the application must contain an oath that the information contained

on the form is accurate, that the applicant is applying on the applicant's own behalf, and

that the applicant is signing the form under penalty of perjury.

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(f) An application that would result in an absentee ballot being mailed that meets the

requirements of paragraphs (d) and (e) and has not already been verified under paragraph

(c), must be electronically submitted by the county auditor or municipal clerk to the secretary

of state to verify the application information matches the information in a government

database associated with the applicant's driver's license number, state identification card

number, or Social Security number. The secretary of state must maintain a secure website

for use by county auditors and municipal clerks for this purpose. The secretary of state must

review all unverifiable applications for evidence of suspicious activity and must forward

any such application to an appropriate law enforcement agency for investigation.

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(f)
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(g)
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An applicant's full date of birth, Minnesota driver's license or state identification

number, and the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security number must not be made

available for public inspection. An application may be submitted to the county auditor or

municipal clerk by an electronic facsimile device. An application mailed or returned in

person to the county auditor or municipal clerk on behalf of a voter by a person other than

the voter must be deposited in the mail or returned in person to the county auditor or

municipal clerk within ten days after it has been dated by the voter and no later than six

days before the election.

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(g)
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(h)
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An application under this subdivision may contain an application under subdivision

5 to automatically receive an absentee ballot. The application form must not be preprinted

in a manner that requires the applicant to affirmatively opt out of being assigned to a

permanent absentee voter list.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective July 1, 2026, and applies to applications

submitted on or after that date.

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Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 203B.04, subdivision 5, is amended to read:

Subd. 5.

Permanent absentee voter status.

(a) An eligible voter may apply to a county

auditor or municipal clerk to automatically receive an absentee ballot before each election,

other than an election by mail conducted under section
204B.45
, and to have the status as

a permanent absentee voter indicated on the voter's registration record. An eligible voter

listed as an ongoing absentee voter as of July 31, 2013, pursuant to laws in effect on that

date, shall be treated as if the voter applied for status as a permanent absentee voter pursuant

to this subdivision.

(b) A voter who applies under paragraph (a) must automatically be provided an absentee

ballot for each eligible election. A voter's permanent absentee status ends and automatic

ballot delivery must be terminated on:

(1) the voter's written request;

(2) the voter's death;

(3) return of an absentee ballot as undeliverable; or

(4) a change in the voter's status to "challenged" or "inactive" in the statewide voter

registration system.

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(c) At least 60 days but no more than 75 days before each regularly scheduled primary

and general election, the secretary of state must validate that each permanent absentee voter

matches the information in a government database associated with the voter's driver's license

number, state identification card number, or Social Security number. If a voter on the

permanent absentee voter status cannot be verified, that voter's status must be changed to

"challenged" and the voter must be notified that the voter has been removed from the

permanent absentee voter list. The secretary of state must notify the voter by the method or

methods of communication provided by the voter on the voter's application for an absentee

ballot or voter registration.

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(c)
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(d)
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The secretary of state shall adopt rules governing procedures under this

subdivision.

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(d)
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(e)
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This subdivision does not apply to a voter residing in a jurisdiction that conducts

elections entirely by mail under section
204B.45
.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective July 1, 2026, and applies to elections

occurring on or after that date.

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