Minnesota Administrative Rules
Agency 133 - Secretary of State
Chapter 8220 - VOTING SYSTEM TESTING
PREPARATION AND TESTING OF ELECTION PROGRAMS
Part 8220.1150 - TEST BALLOTS

All test ballots must be marked "TEST."

Ballots must be prepared having votes in excess of the number allowed by law for each office and proposal appearing on the ballot.

For district offices in which the number of candidates appearing on the ballot for that office varies by district, test ballots must be prepared with the number of votes allowed by law for that office in that district.

In partisan primary elections test ballots must be prepared to check the program for splitting tickets. Test ballots must be prepared with votes appearing in the same ballot for candidates of opposite political parties, nonpartisan candidates, and proposals. At least one ballot must be prepared with votes for one party and including votes for a nonpartisan office in excess of the number permitted by law.

In preparing the test deck, a number of the ballots must be voted to include valid votes in the partisan, nonpartisan, and proposal sections of the ballot. The test deck must include ballots involving no overvotes or marks in unassigned locations, valid votes for each candidate and ballot question, overvotes, undervotes, and invalid votes in many different combinations.

At least one test ballot must be prepared in which marks appear in the precinct identifier or ballot style indicator.

Blank ballots in which no positions have been voted must be included in the test deck.

When required to be used in an election pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 206.57, subdivision 5, the test deck must include a number of ballots marked by an electronic ballot marker sufficient to have marked all vote targets on the ballot in every precinct.

Statutory Authority: MS s 206.57; 206.81; 206.82