Committee lays over bill to create statewide voter information guide after questions about cost and format
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Summary
Chair Freiberg’s proposal to require a printed and online Minnesota voter guide drew questions about a fiscal note (chair cited roughly $2 million in later years), misprint risk, scope of included offices and candidate statements; the committee adopted a DE and laid the bill over for further work.
Chair Freiberg moved House File 3862 (DE1) to the committee floor for discussion; the DE1 was adopted to put the measure in form. The bill would require the Office of the Secretary of State to publish a voter information guide before statewide general elections, distributed online and via a printed copy mailed to households with registered voters. The guide would include how/where/when to vote and candidate statements for federal, statewide, state legislative and judicial races.
Jonah Rothstein of the Office of the Secretary of State said the office’s voter study found demand for a single, widely distributed guide; he noted 32 other states already provide similar guides and the office plans to consult other states’ best practices.
Members focused on cost, format and administration. Chair Freiberg acknowledged a fiscal note and said the projected cost in later years was roughly $2,000,000. Vice Chair Altendorf, Representative Roach and Co‑chair Quam raised concerns about mailed waste, misprints, and whether an online‑only approach might be more cost‑effective. Nicole Freeman (Secretary of State’s office) said other states that moved to online‑only guides saw very low engagement compared with printed guides and that many voters bring printed guides to polling places; she said the office would work through format, distribution and rulemaking details.
Members also discussed candidate statements and party/principle labels (the bill would draw party or political principle from candidate affidavits), the possibility of including QR codes, and partnering with counties to reduce waste. Representative McDonald suggested adding QR codes to printed mailings and expressed support for the concept if funded.
The committee laid the bill over to allow further rulemaking and refinement of funding and format details.