Purpose of the Bill

The purpose of the bill is to improve the process of updating voter history in Minnesota. It aims to ensure more timely access to voter history information following elections.

Main Provisions

• Timely Posting of Voting History: The bill requires county auditors to post the voting history for each person who voted in an election within 10 days, reduced from the previous six weeks. This ensures quicker access to voting records.

• Maintaining Voter Registration: The Secretary of State must update the voter registration records by marking those who have not voted in the last four years as inactive. This is part of a regular maintenance process to keep voter lists up-to-date.

• Inactivation of Voter Registrants: Voter registrants who have not participated in elections over a four-year period will be moved to an 'inactive' status. These individuals must re-register before voting in any subsequent election.

• Ensuring Accuracy of Voter Lists: The process will involve identifying and removing duplicate names from voter lists, ensuring that the official list of eligible voters is accurate and up-to-date.

• Ballot Consideration: While absentee or mail ballots that are late or rejected are not counted in the election results, they will be considered a form of voting for maintaining voter registration status. However, they will not influence the public voting history lists.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• The time frame for posting voting history has been significantly shortened from six weeks to 10 days post-election, allowing for faster public access to election participation data.

• The implementation of an efficient process for marking inactive registrants who have not voted in the past four years, streamlining voter list maintenance.

Relevant Terms

voter history, county auditor, voting records, voter registration, inactive status, Secretary of State, voter list maintenance, absentee ballot, eligible voters, duplicate names.