HF5088

Purpose

This bill aims to align Minnesota’s voter registration process with federal requirements, ensure ongoing compliance with federal election laws, and provide targeted funding to counties to help them meet those requirements. It would also require reporting by the Secretary of State on federal compliance each year.

Main Provisions

Section 1: Voter registration form content and federal requirements

• Voter registration forms (paper and electronic) must include the same required information, with specific fields such as:
  • First, middle, and last name; any previous name
  • Current address and any previous address
  • Date of birth; municipality and county of residence
  • Phone number (if provided)
  • Date of registration
  • Minnesota driver’s license number or Minnesota ID number; or, if none, the last four digits of the Social Security number
  • Voter’s signature
• Paper forms must provide a space for a description of the residence location if the voter lacks a specific address (to help identify the correct precinct). This may include cross streets, nearest address, directions, and approximate distance.
• Paper forms may include the voter’s email address; electronic forms must include the email address.
• The registration form may ask if the voter is interested in serving as an election judge.
• The form must include a certification of voter eligibility, including:
  • The voter is at least 16 (and will be 18 by election day to vote)
  • U.S. citizenship
  • Minnesota residency for 20 days before the election
  • Current residence at the given address
  • Not under court-ordered guardianship revoking voting rights
  • Not legally incompetent to vote (as found by a court)
  • Not currently incarcerated for a felony
  • Acknowledgement that providing false information is a felony with penalties
• The form must include two yes/no questions: citizenship and whether the voter will be at least 18 by election day. If the answer is no to either, the form should not be completed.
• The form must adhere to the required format and include any federal requirements, including documentation of citizenship if applicable.
• Final form must be approved by the Secretary of State.
• Voter registration forms authorized under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) must be accepted; the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) must also be accepted as valid if not deficient and the voter is eligible.
• A person may use the form to register to vote in Minnesota or to update existing registration.

Section 2: Compliance with federal requirements in elections

• The Secretary of State must ensure all state and local elections comply with applicable federal requirements, including any new federal requirements enacted after the bill’s effective date.
• By January 15, 2027 and annually thereafter, the Secretary of State must submit a report certifying compliance with respect to federal laws in effect as of the report date, to the chairs and ranking minority members of the relevant legislative committees.

Section 3: Federal compliance grants appropriation

• A onetime appropriation of $5,000,000 in fiscal year 2027 from the general fund to the Secretary of State to provide grants to counties to help them comply with federal election requirements.
• The Secretary of State will establish a process to distribute this money among counties, allocated in inverse proportion to each county’s turnout in the 2024 state general election.
• Counties must place the funds into a dedicated federal compliance account.
• Funds may only be used to help counties comply with any new federal requirements related to the conduct of elections for federal offices that are enacted after the bill’s effective date.

Section 4

• The provided text ends with Sec. 4, but no details for this section are included in the excerpt.

Significance and Potential Impact

• Standardizes voter registration data elements to align with federal rules, potentially improving verification and consistency across paper and electronic registrations.
• Strengthens ongoing oversight by requiring annual federal compliance reporting from the Secretary of State.
• Provides a dedicated, one-time funding source to help counties adapt to new federal election requirements, with distribution tied to historical turnout to guide resource allocation.

Notable Changes to Law

• Amends Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 201.071, subdivision 1, to specify required registration data, the handling of paper vs. electronic forms, and acceptance of NVRA and FPCA.
• Establishes a formal federal compliance reporting obligation for the Secretary of State.
• Creates a one-time $5 million grant program for counties to meet federal election requirements, with a specified distribution method and spending constraints.

Practical Considerations

• Counties will need to set up or adjust processes to track and report federal compliance funding and ensure funds are used only for new federal requirements enacted after the law’s effective date.
• Local election offices may need to update registration materials and training to reflect the added data fields, certification language, and acceptance of NVRA/FPCA forms.

Note

• Section 4 is not detailed in the provided text.

Relevant Terms - voter registration - voter registration form - electronic voter registration - paper voter registration - federal requirements - National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) - NVRA forms - Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) - secretary of state - counties - grants - federal compliance - compliance report - Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement section 201.071 subdivision 1 - certification of voter eligibility - citizenship - age (16/18) - residency - precinct identification - guardianship - legally incompetent - incarceration - felony - turnout (2024 general election) - general fund appropriation - inverse proportion (allocation)