Provisional ballot requirement for same-day voter registrants is rejected

Minnesota is one of 23 states along with Washington D.C. that allows same-day voter registration.

Rep. Duane Quam (R-Byron) wants to add a step to ensure the ballot of freshly registered voters is cast properly via HF3845. It would require same-day registrants who are unable to provide a Minnesota driver’s license, Minnesota state identification number or Social Security number on Election Day cast a provisional ballot.

Quam said the change would improve election integrity and ensure no one’s denied a ballot.

The House Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee failed to advance the bill Monday on a 6-6 party-line vote. 

Right now, voters can register on Election Day and cast a ballot by showing proof of their identity, their eligibility and of the address in a variety of options including a U.S. passport, utility bills or be vouched for by another registered voter. They can then cast a ballot that goes into the voting machine and is tabulated with those cast by already-registered voters.

Rep. Emma Greenman (DFL-Mpls) says Minnesota’s current system has proven robust under scrutiny from the public and the courts. Provisional ballots as proposed could cost millions of dollars to set up and still result in a large fraction of provisional ballots not being counted. 

The bill calls for completed provisional ballots to be set aside in "a secure, sealed ballot box" and later counted if the voter returns to the city clerk’s or county auditor’s office in the seven days following the election to present a Minnesota driver’s license, Minnesota state identification number or Social Security number, or after voter eligibility is verified by county auditor or city clerk using other data.

All other ballots would be rejected and the voter would receive written notice with an explanation within 6-10 weeks following the election.

Nicole Freeman, government relations director with the Office of the Secretary of State, said that although the law would apply to a small subset of votes, providing training and setting up a way to track provisional ballots requires a big system change that would be challenging to implement this close to an election.

— Session Daily writer Graham Johnson contributed to this report.