Making the election process more open to Minnesotans is the intent
of changes Minnesota state lawmakers enacted in time for the 2008 election.
Voting rights advocates, the Secretary of State, leadership in the
Senate and House and the governor worked hard on compromise language
that everyone could live with and was ensured passage.
Since most of the legwork
was done during the 2007 session, passage of these bills went off
almost without a hitch. There were some bumps in the road as the
process pushed toward its ultimate goal, most of which dealt with
legislative process rather than the content of the bills. The result
was the lumping of several bills into one large compromise bill
authored by election legislation champion, Rep. Bill Hilty, DFL-Finlayson.
The election this year will no doubt bring out many new voters
and create long lines at the polls. It’s
very good news for all Minnesota voters that these new laws will
help protect them as they participate in the voting process this
year.
Rep. Hilty also took the lead on a bill that included some key housekeeping
provisions.
Here are some highlights:
• The agent delivery process is expanded to cover all individuals
with disabilities and those who have incapacitating health reasons
for casting an absentee ballot. The agent must have a pre-existing
relationship with the voter. And, designation of an agent can begin
seven days prior to the election.
• Individuals who register to vote using the voter registration
application can use any of the methods for a signature as defined in §645.44,
including asking someone else to sign their name.
• County auditors
must make AutoMarks (voting machines for disabled voters) available
during the in-person absentee period, except in township elections.
• A township holding
local elections is exempt from making accessible voting systems
available if the town has fewer than 500 registered voters and
if the cost of compliance is more than $150. The Secretary of State
and other interested parties shall review cost and equipment options
beginning in 2009 and end in 2016 in order to achieve full township
compliance.
Other election legislation that passed includes:
• Military and overseas voting-military personnel and others
who are overseas are able to receive absentee ballots electronically
• Automatic address
update is made for voters who move. Voters no longer have to register
to vote each time they move. The Secretary of State will automatically
update voter rolls with new address change information from the
postal service
• Nonpartisan election
judges can serve. People who are not affiliated with a major political
party in Minnesota can also sign up to be election judges. Previously
judges had to declare party affiliation when they registered.
• Challengers will
be required to show the same identification that voters do for
same-day registration. Challengers previously were not required
to show identification.
If you have questions
about other election laws adopted by the 2008 Minnesota Legislature,
contact the Office of the Secretary of State at 651-215-1440 or
www.sos.state.mn.us ![end of story]()
