SF1217

Purpose

To authorize and regulate challengers at polling places for absentee and early voting, and to update related election procedures. The bill clarifies who may act as a challenger, where they may be stationed, residency requirements, and conduct rules to govern challengers during elections.

Who can appoint challengers and where

• Partisan elections: the chair of each major political party can appoint voters from that party to act as challengers at each precinct, with a limit of one challenger per major party per precinct.
• Nonpartisan elections: each nonpartisan candidate may appoint voters to act as challengers at each precinct, with a limit of one challenger per candidate per precinct.
• Elections on a question (e.g., local measures): if at least 25 eligible voters sign a petition, the mayor, school board chair, or town board must appoint one challenger per precinct for that election.
• All challengers are appointed by written certification.

Residency and eligibility of challengers

• Challengers must be residents of Minnesota.
• To serve, challengers must prove residency with documents allowed under Minnesota law.
• Challengers serving in a precinct polling place do not need to prove residency in the specific precinct.

Conduct and access at polling places

• Election judges may not be challengers.
• People authorized to perform certain election duties during early voting or absentee voting cannot be challengers.
• Challengers may be present in the polling place during voting hours and must be allowed to stay until votes are counted and results declared.
• Before election day, challengers must be allowed to remain in the polling place until ballots are secured at close of voting.
• Challengers must not handle or inspect registration cards or lists, must not compile lists of who has or has not voted, and must not try to influence how people vote.
• Challengers must not converse with voters, in line with existing rules for election procedures.

Prohibited practices and penalties

• Challengers and their party affiliates must not compile lists of voters to challenge based on undelivered mail or unacknowledged delivery, including roles of subcontractors or other agents.
• Violating these prohibitions is a gross misdemeanor.

Changes to existing law

• Amends Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 204C.07 to define and govern challengers in partisan, nonpartisan, and question-based elections, including appointment processes, residency, and conduct.
• Amends Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 204C.12 subdivision 1 to align scope and procedures for challenging, allowing challenges based on personal knowledge that an individual is not an eligible voter.
• Reviser instruction to codify 204C.07 subdivision 1b as 204C.07 subdivision 1a.

Summary of intent

This bill formalizes and limits the role of challengers at polling places, ensuring challengers are state residents, appointed in writing, and operate under specific conduct rules to protect voters while enabling election observers to perform their duties.

Potential considerations

• It sets specific limits on how many challengers can be present per precinct and who may appoint them.
• It restricts interaction with voters and handling of voter lists.
• It introduces penalties for improper challenger conduct.

Relevant Terms challengers; polling place; absentee voting; early voting; precinct; partisan elections; major political party; nonpartisan elections; elections on a question; petition; residency; section 203B.081; election judge; registration cards; lists of voters; influence voting; converse with a voter; gross misdemeanor; undeliverable mail; certified written appointment; candidate; appointed by written certificate; residence verification; personal knowledge of ineligible voter.