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Senate committee approves bill to ban payments for petition signatures, expands civil enforcement
Summary
The Senate Elections Committee on March 25 approved Senate File 18‑12, a bill that makes it a felony to directly or indirectly pay or offer incentives to induce voter registration or signatures on election‑related petitions and gives new civil enforcement authority to the attorney general and county attorneys.
Senator Westland told the Senate Elections Committee on March 25 that Senate File 18‑12 is aimed at stopping efforts by outside groups to pay voters for petition signatures, calling the practice an attempt to “bribe citizens for their votes.”
The bill, which the committee approved 7‑4, would expand Minnesota's anti‑bribery prohibitions to make it a felony for a person who willfully, directly or indirectly advances, pays, gives, promises or provides money, goods or similar incentives to induce an eligible or registered voter to sign a petition directly related to an election or to induce an individual to register to vote. The bill also grants civil enforcement authority over violations to the state attorney general and county attorneys.
Sen. Westland said the proposal was driven by reports of paid petition‑signing schemes in neighboring Wisconsin, where…
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