Subd. 1. Delivery of envelopes, directions.

The county auditor or the municipal clerk shall prepare, print, and transmit a return envelope, a ballot envelope, and a copy of the directions for casting an absentee ballot to each applicant whose application for absentee ballots is accepted pursuant to section 203B.04. The directions for casting an absentee ballot shall be printed in at least 14-point bold type with heavy leading and may be printed on the ballot envelope. When a person requests the directions in Braille or on cassette tape, the county auditor or municipal clerk shall provide them in the form requested. The secretary of state shall prepare Braille and cassette copies and make them available. When a voter registration card is sent to the applicant as provided in section 203B.06, subdivision 4 , the directions or registration card shall include instructions for registering to vote.

Subd. 2. Design of envelopes.

The return envelope shall be of sufficient size to conveniently enclose and contain the ballot envelope and a voter registration card folded along its perforations. The return envelope shall be designed to open on the left-hand end. Notwithstanding any rule to the contrary, the return envelope must be designed in one of the following ways:

1. (1) it must be of sufficient size to contain an additional envelope that when sealed, conceals the signature, identification, and other information; or

2. (2) it must provide an additional flap that when sealed, conceals the signature, identification, and other information. Election officials may open the flap or the additional envelope at any time after receiving the returned ballot to inspect the returned certificate for completeness or to ascertain other information. A certificate of eligibility to vote by absentee ballot shall be printed on the back of the envelope. The certificate shall contain a statement to be signed and sworn by the voter indicating that the voter meets all of the requirements established by law for voting by absentee ballot. The certificate shall also contain a statement signed by a person who is registered to vote in Minnesota or by a notary public or other individual authorized to administer oaths stating that:

   1. (a) the ballots were displayed to that individual unmarked;
   2. (b) the voter marked the ballots in that individual's presence without showing how they were marked, or, if the voter was physically unable to mark them, that the voter directed another individual to mark them; and
   3. (c) if the voter was not previously registered, the voter has provided proof of residence as required by section 201.061, subdivision 3. The county auditor or municipal clerk shall affix first class postage to the return envelopes.