HF3723

Purpose

This bill aims to tighten how absentee ballot applications are submitted and verified, by requiring more identity checks and secure processing before an absentee ballot can be mailed.

Main provisions

• Absentee ballot applications are due at least one day before the election (with limited exceptions).
• County auditors prepare absentee ballot application forms using a format provided by the secretary of state, and must supply them to residents on request; forms become available electronically to auditors by January 1 in even-numbered years.
• Applications can be submitted in writing by various means: in person, by fax, by email, or by mail to the county auditor where the applicant lives, or to the applicable municipal clerk.
• An applicant may also submit electronically through a secure website maintained by the secretary of state.
• For electronic submissions via the website, applicants must provide: email address, either a Minnesota driver’s license number or Minnesota state ID number, and the last four digits of the applicant’s Social Security number. If a person does not have both documents, they must provide the number for one type and certify they do not have the other.
• Town elections held in March are exempt from certain electronic verification requirements.
• Electronic submissions are only processed if the secretary of state has verified that the information matches a government database linked to the applicant’s driver’s license, state ID, or SSN; unverifiable applications are reviewed for suspicious activity and may be referred to law enforcement.
• An application is approved if it is timely, signed, and includes the applicant’s name, residence, mailing address, date of birth, and at least one of: DL number, state ID number, last four digits of SSN, or a statement that the applicant does not have any of these numbers.
• The application must include an oath that the information is accurate, the applicant is applying on their own behalf, and the signer is doing so under penalty of perjury.
• If the approval would mail an absentee ballot and verification has not yet occurred, the county auditor or municipal clerk must electronically submit the application to the secretary of state to verify the information against the relevant government database; the secretary of state maintains a secure website for this purpose and will review unverifiable applications for suspicious activity and forward them to law enforcement.
• Important privacy protections: the applicant’s full date of birth, full driver’s license or state ID number, and the last four digits of the SSN must not be publicly accessible.
• The form may include an option to automatically receive an absentee ballot, but the form must not be preprinted to require opting out of being assigned to a permanent absentee voter list.

Significant changes to existing law

• Adds a mandatory verification step before an absentee ballot is mailed by requiring cross-checks against government databases and secure electronic submission.
• Expands the role of the secretary of state in processing absentee ballot applications, including maintaining a secure verification website.
• Strengthens safeguards against unverifiable or potentially suspicious applications, including the possibility of law enforcement involvement.
• Requires an explicit oath and penalty language on applications, increasing accountability for information accuracy.
• Introduces privacy protections by limiting public access to sensitive identifying information (full DOB, full DL/ID numbers, and SSN digits).
• Limits automatic assignment to permanent absentee voter lists by removing opt-out defaults on the application form.
• Establishes standardized timelines and procedures for submitting and processing absentee ballot applications across counties and municipalities, with specific carve-outs for town elections in March.

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