Rep. Halverson Works to Find Common Ground as Minnesota House Passes Bipartisan Election Reform Legislation

Today the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the conference committee report on HF 894, the Elections Omnibus Policy Bill on a bipartisan vote of 99-32. As the Vice Chair of the House Elections Committee I worked my colleagues to craft the bill and gain bipartisan support. Governor Mark Dayton has said he will only support election reform bills with bipartisan support.

I’m very pleased that we were able to pass bipartisan election reform today. Governor Dayton is right that it should be bipartisan. Election reform should never be aimed at helping one political party over another. The reforms in this bill are designed to make our elections run more smoothly while continuing Minnesota’s high marks in election integrity.

The bill contains a number of important election reforms, including no-excuse absentee voting. Under current Minnesota law, eligible voters are only allowed to vote absentee if they are going to be absent on Election Day, for illness or disability, if they are serving as an election judge, observing a religious holiday, or an emergency declared by the governor or federal government. Under this bill, any eligible voter could cast an absentee ballot without providing a reason why the voter cannot vote in person on Election Day.

The legislation contains the legislative recommendations adopted by the bipartisan Task Force on Election Integrity.  I was the chief author of this part of the bill and Rep. Mike Benson (R – Rochester) authored it in 2012. These provisions will give county attorneys, county auditors, and the Secretary of State more tools to ensure the integrity of our election system.

The bill also includes a pilot program to test the use of electronic rosters, also known as e-poll books, during the 2013 municipal elections. The Secretary of State is then required to evaluate the pilot project and report to the Legislature by February 15, 2014. The pilot project expires upon submission of the report. No later than April 15, 2014, the Secretary of State is required to conduct a mock election to demonstrate and test the use of e-poll books that contain data on pre-registered voters. Results must be reported to the Legislature by April 30, 2014.  

Once the Senate passes the conference committee report, the bill will go to Governor Dayton for his signature.

I am your voice at the Capitol and I want your input on how best to move Minnesota forward. You can reach me by phone at 651-296-4128, or by email at rep.laurie.halverson@house.mn. You can also visit my legislative website to read news or sign up for my email updates.

Laurie Halverson

State Representative

District 51B