Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Minnesota Senate Bill SF634 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1.1 A bill for an act
2	2	1.2 relating to elections; requiring city, town, and school district general elections to
3	3	1.3 be conducted on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of an
4	4	1.4 even-numbered year; permitting cities of the first class to choose to conduct a
5	5	1.5 general election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of either
6	6	1.6 an odd-numbered or even-numbered year; requiring affected cities, towns, and
7	7	1.7 school districts to adopt an orderly transition plan; amending Minnesota Statutes
8	8	1.8 2024, sections 205.07, subdivisions 1, 3; 205.075, subdivision 2; 205A.03,
9	9	1.9 subdivisions 1, 2; 205A.04, subdivision 1; 205A.055, subdivision 1; repealing
10	10	1.10 Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 205A.04, subdivision 3.
11	11	1.11BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
12	12	1.12 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 205.07, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
13	13	1.13 Subdivision 1.Date of election.The municipal general election in each city shall be
14	14	1.14held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in every even-numbered year.
15	15	1.15Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary and subject to the provisions of this
16	16	1.16section, the governing body of a city of the first class may, by ordinance passed at a regular
17	17	1.17meeting held at least 180 calendar days before the first day to file for candidacy in the next
18	18	1.18municipal election, decide to hold the election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday
19	19	1.19in November in either an even- or odd-numbered year. A city of the first class may hold
20	20	1.20elections in either the even-numbered year or the odd-numbered year, but not both. When
21	21	1.21a city of the first class changes its elections from one year to another, and does not provide
22	22	1.22for the expiration of terms by ordinance, the term of an incumbent expiring at a time when
23	23	1.23no municipal election is held in the months immediately prior to expiration is extended until
24	24	1.24the date for taking office following the next scheduled municipal election. If the change
25	25	1.25results in having three council members to be elected at a succeeding election, the two
26	26	1.26individuals receiving the highest vote shall serve for terms of four years and the individual
27	27	1Section 1.
28	28	25-01728 as introduced01/06/25 REVISOR JFK/KR
29	29	SENATE
30	30	STATE OF MINNESOTA
31	31	S.F. No. 634NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
32	32	(SENATE AUTHORS: BAHR and Cwodzinski)
33	33	OFFICIAL STATUSD-PGDATE
34	34	Introduction and first reading01/27/2025
35	35	Referred to Elections 2.1receiving the third highest number of votes shall serve for a term of two years. To provide
36	36	2.2an orderly transition to the odd or even year election plan, the governing body of the city
37	37	2.3may adopt supplementary ordinances regulating initial elections and officers to be chosen
38	38	2.4at the elections and shortening or lengthening the terms of incumbents and those elected at
39	39	2.5the initial election. The term of office for the mayor may be either two or four years. The
40	40	2.6term of office of council members is four years. Whenever the time of the municipal election
41	41	2.7in a city of the first class is changed, the city clerk immediately shall notify in writing the
42	42	2.8county auditor and secretary of state of the change of date. Thereafter the municipal general
43	43	2.9election shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in each
44	44	2.10odd-numbered or even-numbered year until the ordinance is revoked and notification of the
45	45	2.11change is made. A municipal general election scheduled to be held in an odd-numbered
46	46	2.12year may be postponed for inclement weather as provided in section 205.105.
47	47	2.13 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 205.07, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
48	48	2.14 Subd. 3.Effect of ordinance; referendum.An ordinance changing the year of the
49	49	2.15municipal election in a city of the first class is effective 240 days after passage and
50	50	2.16publication or at a later date fixed in the ordinance. Within 180 days after passage and
51	51	2.17publication of the ordinance, a petition requesting a referendum on the ordinance may be
52	52	2.18filed with the city clerk. The petition shall be signed by eligible voters equal in number to
53	53	2.19ten percent of the total number of votes cast in the city at the last municipal general election.
54	54	2.20If the requisite petition is filed within the prescribed period, the ordinance shall not become
55	55	2.21effective until it is approved by a majority of the voters voting on the question at a general
56	56	2.22or special election held on a date authorized by section 205.10, subdivision 3a. If the petition
57	57	2.23is filed, the governing body may reconsider its action in adopting the ordinance.
58	58	2.24 Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 205.075, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
59	59	2.25 Subd. 2.Alternate date.A town may, by resolution or ordinance, designate the first
60	60	2.26Tuesday after the first Monday in November of either the an even-numbered or the
61	61	2.27odd-numbered year as the date of the town general election. Town supervisors elected at a
62	62	2.28November town general election shall serve four-year terms.
63	63	2.29 The ordinance or resolution changing the date of the town general election must include
64	64	2.30a plan to shorten or lengthen the terms of office to provide an orderly transition to the
65	65	2.31November election schedule.
66	66	2.32 The ordinance or resolution changing the date of the town general election may be
67	67	2.33proposed by the town board or by a resolution of the electors adopted at the annual town
68	68	2Sec. 3.
69	69	25-01728 as introduced01/06/25 REVISOR JFK/KR 3.1meeting and is effective upon an affirmative vote of the electors at the next town general
70	70	3.2election.
71	71	3.3 Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 205A.03, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
72	72	3.4 Subdivision 1.Resolution requiring primary in certain circumstances.The school
73	73	3.5board of a school district may, by resolution adopted by April 15 of any an even-numbered
74	74	3.6year, decide to choose nominees for school board by a primary as provided in this section.
75	75	3.7The resolution, when adopted, is effective for all ensuing elections of board members in
76	76	3.8that school district until it is revoked. If the board decides to choose nominees by primary
77	77	3.9and if there are more than two candidates for a specified school board position or more than
78	78	3.10twice as many school board candidates as there are at-large school board positions available,
79	79	3.11the school district must hold a primary.
80	80	3.12 Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 205A.03, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
81	81	3.13 Subd. 2.Date.The school district primary must be held on the second Tuesday in August
82	82	3.14in the year when the school district general election is held. The clerk shall give notice of
83	83	3.15the primary in the manner provided in section 205A.07. The date of a school district primary
84	84	3.16held in an odd-numbered year may be postponed for inclement weather as provided in
85	85	3.17section 205A.055.
86	86	3.18 Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 205A.04, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
87	87	3.19 Subdivision 1.School district general election.The general election in each school
88	88	3.20district must be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of either the
89	89	3.21odd-numbered or the an even-numbered year. A general election held in an odd-numbered
90	90	3.22year may be postponed for inclement weather as provided in section 205A.055.
91	91	3.23 Sec. 7. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 205A.055, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
92	92	3.24 Subdivision 1.Applicability.This section applies to a primary, special, or general
93	93	3.25election held in a school district that is not held in conjunction with a state or federal election.
94	94	3.26 Sec. 8. REPEALER.
95	95	3.27 Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 205A.04, subdivision 3, is repealed.
96	96	3Sec. 8.
97	97	25-01728 as introduced01/06/25 REVISOR JFK/KR 4.1 Sec. 9. EFFECTIVE DATE; TRANSITION.
98	98	4.2 This act is effective July 1, 2025, and applies to elections conducted on or after January
99	99	4.31, 2026. No later than January 1, 2026, the governing body of an affected city, town, or
100	100	4.4school district must adopt a plan for an orderly transition to an even-numbered year election
101	101	4.5as required by this act. The plan must be adopted by ordinance in the case of a city, or by
102	102	4.6ordinance or resolution in the case of a town or school district. The terms of office for elected
103	103	4.7officers of the city, town, or school district may be lengthened or shortened by one year as
104	104	4.8part of the transition plan.
105	105	4Sec. 9.
106	106	25-01728 as introduced01/06/25 REVISOR JFK/KR 205A.04 GENERAL ELECTION.
107	107	Subd. 3.Change in year of general election.The school board may, by resolution, change the
108	108	year in which the school district general election will be held. The resolution must be approved no
109	109	later than four weeks before the first day to file affidavits of candidacy for the general election. A
110	110	plan for the orderly transition to the new election year must be included in the resolution. The terms
111	111	of school board members may be lengthened or shortened by one year as a part of the transition
112	112	process.
113	113	1R
114	114	APPENDIX
115	115	Repealed Minnesota Statutes: 25-01728