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H.F. No. 1443,  as introduced - 84th Legislative Session (2005-2006)   Posted on Mar 03, 2005
  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to elections; requiring proof of citizenship 
  1.3             as part of registration; requiring voters to provide 
  1.4             picture identification; amending Minnesota Statutes 
  1.5             2004, sections 201.061, subdivisions 1, 3; 204C.10. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 201.061, 
  1.8   subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [PRIOR TO ELECTION DAY.] At any time except 
  1.10  during the 20 days immediately preceding any election, an 
  1.11  eligible voter or any individual who will be an eligible voter 
  1.12  at the time of the next election may register to vote in the 
  1.13  precinct in which the voter maintains residence by completing a 
  1.14  voter registration application as described in section 201.071, 
  1.15  subdivision 1, and submitting it in person or by mail to the 
  1.16  county auditor of that county or to the Secretary of State's 
  1.17  Office.  The voter registration application must be accompanied 
  1.18  by proof of United States citizenship in the form of a passport, 
  1.19  birth certificate, or naturalization document, if registering in 
  1.20  person, or a state-certified copy of one of those documents, if 
  1.21  registering by mail.  A registration that is received no later 
  1.22  than 5:00 p.m. on the 21st day preceding any election shall be 
  1.23  accepted.  An improperly addressed or delivered registration 
  1.24  application shall be forwarded within two working days after 
  1.25  receipt to the county auditor of the county where the voter 
  2.1   maintains residence.  A state or local agency or an individual 
  2.2   that accepts completed voter registration applications from a 
  2.3   voter must submit the completed applications to the secretary of 
  2.4   state or the appropriate county auditor within ten days after 
  2.5   the applications are dated by the voter. 
  2.6      For purposes of this section, mail registration is defined 
  2.7   as a voter registration application delivered to the secretary 
  2.8   of state, county auditor, or municipal clerk by the United 
  2.9   States Postal Service or a commercial carrier. 
  2.10     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 201.061, 
  2.11  subdivision 3, is amended to read: 
  2.12     Subd. 3.  [ELECTION DAY REGISTRATION.] An individual who is 
  2.13  eligible to vote may register on election day by appearing in 
  2.14  person at the polling place for the precinct in which the 
  2.15  individual maintains residence, by completing a registration 
  2.16  application, providing proof of United States citizenship in the 
  2.17  form of a passport, birth certificate, or naturalization 
  2.18  document, making an oath in the form prescribed by the secretary 
  2.19  of state and providing proof of residence.  An individual may 
  2.20  prove residence for purposes of registering by: 
  2.21     (1) presenting a driver's license or Minnesota 
  2.22  identification card issued pursuant to section 171.07; 
  2.23     (2) presenting any document approved by the secretary of 
  2.24  state as proper identification; 
  2.25     (3) presenting one of the following: 
  2.26     (i) a current valid student identification card from a 
  2.27  postsecondary educational institution in Minnesota, if a list of 
  2.28  students from that institution has been prepared under section 
  2.29  135A.17 and certified to the county auditor in the manner 
  2.30  provided in rules of the secretary of state; or 
  2.31     (ii) a current student fee statement that contains the 
  2.32  student's valid address in the precinct together with a picture 
  2.33  identification card; or 
  2.34     (4) having a voter who is registered to vote in the 
  2.35  precinct sign an oath in the presence of the election judge 
  2.36  vouching that the voter personally knows that the individual is 
  3.1   a resident of the precinct.  A voter who has been vouched for on 
  3.2   election day may not sign a proof of residence oath vouching for 
  3.3   any other individual on that election day. 
  3.4      For tribal band members living on an Indian reservation, an 
  3.5   individual may prove residence for purposes of registering by 
  3.6   presenting an identification card issued by the tribal 
  3.7   government of a tribe recognized by the Bureau of Indian 
  3.8   Affairs, United States Department of the Interior, that contains 
  3.9   the name, street address, signature, and picture of the 
  3.10  individual.  The county auditor of each county having territory 
  3.11  within the reservation shall maintain a record of the number of 
  3.12  election day registrations accepted under this section. 
  3.13     A county, school district, or municipality may require that 
  3.14  an election judge responsible for election day registration 
  3.15  initial each completed registration application.  
  3.16     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 204C.10, is 
  3.17  amended to read: 
  3.18     204C.10 [PERMANENT REGISTRATION; VERIFICATION OF 
  3.19  REGISTRATION.] 
  3.20     (a) An individual seeking to vote shall sign a polling 
  3.21  place roster which states that the individual is at least 18 
  3.22  years of age, a citizen of the United States, has resided in 
  3.23  Minnesota for 20 days immediately preceding the election, 
  3.24  maintains residence at the address shown, is not under a 
  3.25  guardianship in which the individual has not retained the right 
  3.26  to vote, has not been found by a court of law to be legally 
  3.27  incompetent to vote or convicted of a felony without having 
  3.28  civil rights restored, is registered and has not already voted 
  3.29  in the election.  The roster must also state:  "I understand 
  3.30  that deliberately providing false information is a felony 
  3.31  punishable by not more than five years imprisonment and a fine 
  3.32  of not more than $10,000, or both."  
  3.33     (b) A judge may, Before the applicant signs the roster, a 
  3.34  judge: 
  3.35     (1) may confirm the applicant's name, address, and date of 
  3.36  birth; and 
  4.1      (2) shall require the voter to provide a picture 
  4.2   identification card or document.  
  4.3      (c) After the applicant signs the roster, the judge shall 
  4.4   give the applicant a voter's receipt.  The voter shall deliver 
  4.5   the voter's receipt to the judge in charge of ballots as proof 
  4.6   of the voter's right to vote, and thereupon the judge shall hand 
  4.7   to the voter the ballot.  The voters' receipts must be 
  4.8   maintained during the time for notice of filing an election 
  4.9   contest.