HF 1800 Minnesota House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Voting administration provisions modified, including candidate filing, registration, vouching, election judges, polling places, ballots, and postelection review; reports required; criminal penalties provided; and money appropriated.

HF 1800 modifies Minnesota's voting administration rules, primarily affecting voters registering on election day and residential facilities. It establishes new requirements for "vouching," allowing registered voters or eligible facility employees to personally vouch for new voters in their precinct - limiting each voter to vouching for up to eight people per election day. Residential facilities (like shelters, nursing homes, or transitional housing) must provide employee lists to county auditors 20 days before elections, and election judges must document vouching on public forms. The bill also adds reporting requirements, clarifies election judge party affiliation rules, and includes criminal penalties for violations, but does not specify the exact penalties in the provided text.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Mar 3, 2025 Last action Mar 10, 2025

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What changed between versions

Introduction → 1st Engrossment · 8 edits · Mar 10, 2025

MODERATE

This bill significantly expands Minnesota's election administration by creating formal ballot boards for absentee voting, enhancing protections for voters with disabilities, and introducing stricter security measures for ballots and voting equipment. The changes aim to improve election integrity, ensure fair representation among election judges, and provide clearer guidance for officials and voters.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of election administration to include formal ballot boards for all jurisdictions handling absentee ballots and extends voting accessibility to voters unable to leave their vehicles.

REQUIREMENT

Mandates the creation of ballot boards in every county, municipality, and school district responsible for absentee ballots or early voting.

Requires that each major political party have at least one representative on every election judge board.

Allows voters who cannot leave their vehicles to register and vote from inside their cars with assistance from two election judges.

Prohibits political parties from compiling lists of voters based on returned or unacknowledged mail for the purpose of voter challenges.

Requires election officials to maintain detailed, notarized logs tracking every person who handles ballots and voting equipment.

Mandates that preliminary vote totals remain inaccessible to any person until after the polls close.

Updates the Secretary of State's duty to provide election materials from a 'may' to a 'must' prepare and transmit detailed instructions.

FISCAL

Appropriates unspecified funds from the general fund for the Secretary of State to implement these new election administration costs.

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Full legislative history

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Key actions

Committee

Mar 10, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee report, to adopt as amended and re-refer to Public Safety Finance and Policy

lower

Mar 3, 2025

Introduced

Introduction and first reading, referred to Elections Finance and Government Operations

lower

1 primary · 5 co-sponsors