Minnesota House Passes Election Bill, Facilitating Access for Homeless Voters

(KNSI) – The Minnesota House of Representatives approved a bill that would make it easier to cast a ballot.

The 2024 Elections Policy Bill passed on a vote of 69-63 on Monday night. Democrat Mike Freiberg authored the legislation.”This bill corrects historical wrongs and federal mistakes. It improves the clarity of how our elections are influenced and that expands voter access for eligible voters.”

The bill’s most notable provision is allowing voter registration to be more accessible for homeless individuals. Instead of requiring a physical address, Minnesotans can now provide a description of their living situation when registering.

That concerns Representative Tim O’Driscoll of Sartell. “That’s scary to me because the border has been flooded with people who don’t have a permanent address here in the United States, and if they come to Minnesota, they’re going to be allowed to vote by simply describing where they live. And, of course, they have to take the pledge that they’re U.S. citizens and Minnesota residents. But then again, I don’t know what the audit trail on that is going to look like.” He was a guest on KNSI’s Hot Talk with The OX.

The law also mandates state officials provide an early voting location on campus if a colleges or university requests it. People could get their ballots online early for all elections.

The policy bill includes efforts to change how the voting population is counted in prison. Currently, inmates in Minnesota are counted as residents of where they are incarcerated. The law would change so convicted prisoners are counted where they last lived before getting locked up.

The Minnesota Voting Rights Act is part of the package. Democrats say it protects voters from discriminatory suppression tactics, such as closing or shifting polling places, language access denial, inadequate voter registration efforts, notary requirements, and off-cycle non-standard election days.

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