Bill > HF2600

This bill modifies voter registration and voting procedures for individuals in jail, requires the secretary of state to make grants to county sheriffs, and provides funding to support these efforts. Specifically, the bill requires sheriffs to develop plans for voter education and assistance for eligible voters in jail, including designating a staff member as a jail voting coordinator who will help distribute voting materials and facilitate voting. Sheriffs must report their efforts to the secretary of state by November 30 of every even-numbered year. The bill also allows jail inmates who want to vote to use a telephone during business hours to contact the county auditor and request an absentee ballot or get voting assistance. For voter registration purposes, individuals in jail can now use the address from their intake form to prove residency. Additionally, the secretary of state must make grants to sheriffs proportional to the number of jail beds under each sheriff's authority, with an initial appropriation of $2,500,000 in fiscal year 2027, and continued funding of the same amount in odd-numbered fiscal years thereafter. The bill further requires the secretary of state to include information about sheriffs' voting facilitation efforts in post-election reports to the legislature, aimed at improving voting access for incarcerated individuals who remain eligible to vote.

Government Affairs

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF2600&ssn=0&y=2025