SF3096

SF3096 (Legislative Session 94 (2025-2026))

Election judge provisions modification

Related bill: HF2595

AI Generated Summary

Purpose of the Bill

The purpose of this bill is to modify provisions related to election judges in Minnesota, focusing specifically on the procedures for managing election ballots.

Main Provisions

Ballot Count Certification: The bill mandates that at least two election judges must certify the number of ballots delivered to a precinct before voting begins. This certification can rely on the assumption that the total count of prepackaged ballots is correct.
Ballot Counting Procedure: When a package of ballots is opened, two judges must count the ballots in the package to confirm that the total matches the provided count. Any discrepancies found must be recorded in an incident log.
Initialing Ballots: The bill requires that at least two election judges initial the back of all ballots either before or as soon as possible after voting begins. These judges are prohibited from making any other marks on the ballots.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

This bill updates the procedure for counting and initialing ballots by explicitly allowing judges to assume the accuracy of prepackaged ballot counts and by formalizing the requirement for initialing ballots to prevent any unauthorized marking beyond the required initials.

Relevant Terms

Election judges
Ballot certification
Prepackaged ballots
Incident log
Initialing ballots

Bill text versions

Introduction PDF file

Actions

Date	Chamber	Where	Type	Name	Committee Name
March 26, 2025	Senate	Floor	Action	Introduction and first reading
March 26, 2025	Senate	Floor	Action	Referred to	Elections

Citations

[
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "Allows election judges to presume total count for prepackaged ballots is correct."
      ],
      "removed": [
        ""
      ],
      "summary": "The bill modifies election judge provisions relating to the counting and initialing of ballots under section 204C.09.",
      "modified": [
        "Clarification on actions taken by election judges during initialing of ballots."
      ]
    },
    "citation": "204C.09",
    "subdivision": "subdivision 1"
  }
]