Voters could receive statewide general election official voting guides by 2027

Thirty-two states send out some form of voting guide to residents that detail how to vote, where to vote, and who will be on the ballot.

The House Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee laid over a bill Wednesday that would make Minnesota the 33rd.

Rep. Mike Freiberg (DFL-Golden Valley) sponsors HF3862, which as amended, would require the Office of the Secretary of State to publish and distribute a voter guide prior to each statewide general election.

The guide would include:

• voting eligibility requirements;
• maps of House and Senate districts;
• voter registration forms;
• absentee ballot application forms;
• voting instructions;
• contact information for each major political party;
• candidate statement and contact information; and
• information on proposed state constitutional amendments.

The guide would be mailed out at least 53 days before an election to each household with at least one registered voter, as well as to other public locations like libraries and public colleges and universities. Guides would be available in English and the three most commonly spoken non-English languages in Minnesota as determined by the state demographer.

Halla Henderson, director of public policy and research for the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, supports the bill. “By providing households across Minnesota with an official voter information guide — while also making it available in multiple languages and accessible formats — this legislation helps ensure that every Minnesotan has the information they need to show up at the polls as an informed voter,” she wrote.

The bill is expected to cost $1.9 million in Fiscal Year 2027, a particular issue for Republican members.

“I would be more inclined to have something that it’s online. That’s easier to access and would cost a heck of a lot less money,” Rep. Drew Roach (R-Farmington) said.

“There were states that moved from a printed version to an online version, and they only received 20,000 clicks on that guide in a state where millions of voters exist,” responded Nicole Freeman, government relations director with the Office of the Secretary of State.

“While the Office of the Secretary of State and local election officials offer a plethora of information to voters online, we do not have a single product that is distributed to all registered voters,” added Jonah Rothstein, special assistant to Secretary of State Steve Simon.