Minnesota 2025 2025-2026 Regular Session

Minnesota Senate Bill SF2275 Introduced / Bill

Filed 03/05/2025

                    1.1	A bill for an act​
1.2 relating to elections; providing for the designation and election of presidential​
1.3 electors; withdrawing from the Agreement Among the States to Elect the President​
1.4 by National Popular Vote; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 208.03;​
1.5 208.05; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 208.051; 208.052.​
1.6BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:​
1.7 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 208.03, is amended to read:​
1.8 208.03 NOMINATION OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS AND ALTERNATES.​
1.9 Presidential electors and alternates for the major political parties of this state shall be​
1.10nominated by delegate conventions called and held under the supervision of the respective​
1.11state central committees of the parties of this state. Each major political party shall nominate​
1.12one presidential elector from each congressional district and two presidential electors from​
1.13the state at large. At least 71 days before the general election day the chair of the major​
1.14political party shall certify to the secretary of state the names of the persons nominated as​
1.15presidential electors, the names of persons nominated as alternate presidential electors, and​
1.16the names of the party candidates for president and vice president. For each person nominated​
1.17as an elector or alternate elector, the chair shall indicate whether the person is nominated​
1.18as an at-large elector or is nominated to represent a congressional district. If the person is​
1.19nominated to represent a congressional district, the chair must indicate the congressional​
1.20district number for each nominee. The chair shall also certify that the party candidates for​
1.21president and vice president have no affidavit on file as a candidate for any office in this​
1.22state at the ensuing general election.​
1​Section 1.​
25-01195 as introduced​01/21/25 REVISOR JFK/BM​
SENATE​
STATE OF MINNESOTA​
S.F. No. 2275​NINETY-FOURTH SESSION​
(SENATE AUTHORS: LUCERO)​
OFFICIAL STATUS​D-PG​DATE​
Introduction and first reading​03/06/2025​
Referred to Elections​ 2.1 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 208.05, is amended to read:​
2.2 208.05 STATE CANVASSING BOARD.​
2.3 The State Canvassing Board at its meeting on the date provided in section 204C.33 shall​
2.4open and canvass the returns made to the secretary of state for presidential electors and​
2.5alternates, prepare a statement of the number of votes cast for the persons receiving votes​
2.6for these offices statewide and within each congressional district, and declare the person or​
2.7persons receiving the highest number of votes for each office duly elected, except that if​
2.8the Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote governs​
2.9the appointment of presidential electors, the State Canvassing Board shall declare duly​
2.10elected the candidates for presidential electors and alternates identified in accordance with​
2.11the provisions of that agreement. as follows:​
2.12 (1) the statewide vote totals must be used to determine the persons elected to serve as​
2.13electors under the at-large designation; and​
2.14 (2) the vote totals within each congressional district must be used to determine the person​
2.15elected to serve as an elector representing that district.​
2.16 When it appears that more than the number of persons to be elected as presidential​
2.17electors or alternates have the highest and an equal number of votes, the secretary of state,​
2.18in the presence of the board shall decide by lot which of the persons shall be declared elected,​
2.19except that if the Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular​
2.20Vote governs the appointment of presidential electors, no such drawing of lots shall be​
2.21conducted. The governor shall transmit to each person declared elected a certificate of​
2.22election, signed by the governor, sealed with the state seal, and countersigned by the secretary​
2.23of state.​
2.24 Sec. 3. WITHDRAWAL.​
2.25 For purposes of Article IV of the Agreement Among the States to Elect the President​
2.26by National Popular Vote, this act constitutes withdrawal from agreement, and the governor​
2.27is directed to inform the chief executives of other agreement states of the withdrawal.​
2.28 Sec. 4. REPEALER.​
2.29 Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 208.051; and 208.052, are repealed.​
2​Sec. 4.​
25-01195 as introduced​01/21/25 REVISOR JFK/BM​ 208.051 AGREEMENT AMONG THE STATES TO ELECT THE PRESIDENT BY​
NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE.​
The Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote is enacted​
into law and entered into with all other states legally joining in it in substantially the following​
form:​
Article I - Membership​
Any state of the United States and the District of Columbia may become a member of this​
agreement by enacting this agreement.​
Article II - Right of the People in Member States to​
Vote for President and Vice President​
Each member state shall conduct a statewide popular election for president and vice president​
of the United States.​
Article III - Manner of Appointing Presidential Electors in Member States​
Prior to the time set by law for the meeting and voting by the presidential electors, the chief​
election official of each member state shall determine the number of votes for each presidential​
slate in each state of the United States and in the District of Columbia in which votes have been​
cast in a statewide popular election and shall add such votes together to produce a national popular​
vote total for each presidential slate. The chief election official of each member state shall designate​
the presidential slate with the largest national popular vote total as the national popular vote winner.​
The presidential elector certifying official of each member state shall certify the appointment in​
that official's own state of the elector slate nominated in that state in association with the national​
popular vote winner. At least six days before the day fixed by law for the meeting and voting by​
the presidential electors, each member state shall make a final determination of the number of​
popular votes cast in the state for each presidential slate and shall communicate an official statement​
of such determination within 24 hours to the chief election official of each other member state. The​
chief election official of each member state shall treat as conclusive an official statement containing​
the number of popular votes in a state for each presidential slate made by the day established by​
federal law for making a state's final determination conclusive as to the counting of electoral votes​
by Congress. In event of a tie for the national popular vote winner, the presidential elector certifying​
official of each member state shall certify the appointment of the elector slate nominated in​
association with the presidential slate receiving the largest number of popular votes within that​
official's own state. If, for any reason, the number of presidential electors nominated in a member​
state in association with the national popular vote winner is less than or greater than that state's​
number of electoral votes, the presidential candidate on the presidential slate that has been designated​
as the national popular vote winner shall have the power to nominate the presidential electors for​
that state and that state's presidential elector certifying official shall certify the appointment of such​
nominees. The chief election official of each member state shall immediately release to the public​
all vote counts or statements of votes as they are determined or obtained. This article shall govern​
the appointment of presidential electors in each member state in any year in which this agreement​
is, on July 20, in effect in states cumulatively possessing a majority of the electoral votes.​
Article IV - Other Provisions​
This agreement shall take effect when states cumulatively possessing a majority of the electoral​
votes have enacted this agreement in substantially the same form and the enactments by such states​
have taken effect in each state. Any member state may withdraw from this agreement, except that​
a withdrawal occurring six months or less before the end of a president's term shall not become​
effective until a president or vice president shall have been qualified to serve the next term. The​
chief executive of each member state shall promptly notify the chief executive of all other states​
of when this agreement has been enacted and has taken effect in that official's state, when the state​
has withdrawn from this agreement, and when this agreement takes effect generally. This agreement​
shall terminate if the electoral college is abolished. If any provision of this agreement is held invalid,​
the remaining provisions shall not be affected.​
Article V - Definitions​
For purposes of this agreement:​
(1) "chief election official" means the state official or body that is authorized to certify the total​
number of popular votes for each presidential slate;​
1R​
APPENDIX​
Repealed Minnesota Statutes: 25-01195​ (2) "chief executive" means the governor of a state of the United States or the mayor of the​
District of Columbia;​
(3) "elector slate" means a slate of candidates who have been nominated in a state for the position​
of presidential elector in association with a presidential slate;​
(4) "presidential elector" means an elector for president and vice president of the United States;​
(5) "presidential elector certifying official" means the state official or body that is authorized​
to certify the appointment of the state's presidential electors;​
(6) "presidential slate" means a slate of two persons, the first of whom has been nominated as​
a candidate for president of the United States and the second of whom has been nominated as a​
candidate for vice president of the United States, or any legal successors to such persons, regardless​
of whether both names appear on the ballot presented to the voter in a particular state;​
(7) "state" means a state of the United States and the District of Columbia; and​
(8) "statewide popular election" means a general election in which votes are cast for presidential​
slates by individual voters and counted on a statewide basis.​
208.052 CONFLICT OF LAWS.​
When the Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote governs​
the appointment of presidential electors, the provisions of that agreement shall take precedence​
over any conflicting law of this state.​
2R​
APPENDIX​
Repealed Minnesota Statutes: 25-01195​