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We don't have any on-campus housing but if I am understanding the requirements correctly, I am to submit a housing list for all our students who reside within the city our campus is in. Is this correct? Many of our students' permanent addresses are elsewhere but they have a temporary address that is local, am I to include temporary addresses on that list?

This is an important question. Here are a few scenarios, but the short answer is if you have an address for them in your city/town, they should be on the list:

Student A comes from another area of the state, has a mailing and billing address in your system (let’s say Mom and Dad A’s house) in that other area, and while they live in your city now, they never reported it to the school. They won’t be on your list. (You aren't responsible to track down the differences between the permanent/billing address they give you and where they are living while they go to school.) If they did tell the school they are living in in the same city, they should be on your list.
Student B commutes from an address in your city, which you have had from the beginning as their address. On the list!
Student C Is from San Diego, and when they moved to Minnesota to go to school at your institution, they gave their local address for office use, mailing, etc. On the list!

MN Statute: Section 135A.17, Subd. 2

MN Statute: Section 201.061, Subd. 3(d)

Contact your county with questions on list format and other details.

Is there a new law that says the county must put an early voting site on campus?

Yes, the 2024 Elections Omnibus Bill was passed, and included was a section on this with a start date of 1/1/25, with certain details and requirements:

-Article 2, Section 13 of the elections omnibus law says (and I'm paraphrasing and summarizing) that if a postsecondary institution with at least 100 student housing spaces asks their county/city (they must be authorized to administer absentee voting) for an on-campus early voting site, the county/city must provide a temporary site there for at least one day. There are restrictions, requirements on both sides; you will want to read the statute and talk to your county/city elections folks.

-Article 2, Section 14 says (and I'm paraphrasing and summarizing) that as of July 1, 2024, the county/city that sets these temporary early voting sites up on campuses can get some reimbursement. (No money for you, sorry.) What that means for you, though, is that you can request a site be set up this summer or fall on campus- before it's mandatory that they set it up- and the county/city can get the reimbursement for doing it.

2024 Omnibus Bill, Section 13
(See line 18.8)

2024 Omnibus Bill, Section 14
(See line 19.7)

Contact your county with questions on requesting a temporary early voting site on campus.

I heard that a law passed requiring counties to open an early polling place on campus. Is that true? When does it start? Who pays for it?

The 2024 Omnibus Election Bill (exciting bedtime reading!) established two things that connect to your question:

1) Starting January 1, 2025, at the request of a postsecondary institution providing on-campus housing to at least 100 students, the county or city who handles early voting must create an additional temporary polling place for the state general election (or the odd-year city general election) for at least one day at a location they agree upon. There are specific requirements, but that is the general gist.

2) Starting July 1 of 2024, those counties and cities who set up these temporary sites can get reimbursed for some of the costs (which they cover, not the school).

That means that fall of 2024, they don't have to set up a temporary site when asked to, but if they do, they get money back! So...you may want to ask them. :)

Section 13: amended the 2023 Supplement, section 203B.081, subdivision 4)

Section 14: [203B.0815] TEMPORARY LOCATIONS REIMBURSEMENTS; POSTSECONDARY INSTITUTIONS.

If our students were previously enrolled but did not take summer classes (variety of reasons including their program did not offer summer classes), would they be on the 7/24/24 list due to the county for the August 13 Primary?

Maybe. The list should include any student using college housing on August 13 OR currently enrolled on August 13 (e.g. for summer classes or other academic work) and for whom you have a local address in the city your campus is in.

If they are registered for fall classes but not doing anything over the summer with the college, you don’t have to included them. (And wouldn’t include student housing assuming they don’t move in that early. It’s about where they live on 8/13.)

BUT, that said, you CAN add the registered-for-fall local-address students to the list in case they stayed over the summer in that house/apartment, working at a coffee shop or at an internship, etc.

One more note: This list is only for Election Day Registration, which if we are all doing our jobs with voter outreach on campus, will be needed less and less. 😊

MN Statute: Section 135A.17, Subd. 2

MN Statute: Section 201.061, Subd. 3a (d)

*UPDATED

Contact your county with questions on list contents, format, etc.