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Ranked Choice Voting Local Option Approved by House State and Local Government Committee
The bill would authorize statutory cities to adopt ranked choice voting.
A bill that would authorize cities to adopt ranked choice voting (RCV) was heard in the House State and Local Government Finance and Policy Committee on April 9, where it was amended, approved, and re-referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.
HF 3276 (Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope) would authorize charter cities, statutory cities, and school districts to adopt ranked choice voting in even-year elections for local offices, establish procedures for counting ranked choice votes cast, and establish definitions and standards for ranked choice voting.
Its companion bill, SF 3868 (Sen. Kelly Morrison, DFL-Deephaven), was approved by the Senate Elections Committee on Feb. 22 and re-referred to the Senate State and Local Government and Veterans Committee where it is scheduled for a hearing on April 16.
What’s in the bill?
Provisions in the bill would:
- Remove the limitation that RCV could not be utilized in conjunction with a state general election.
- Add counties to the list of jurisdictions that can adopt ranked choice voting and clarify the coordination required between overlapping jurisdictions when adopting RCV.
- Require the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State to adopt rules regarding ranked choice voting ballot formats, recounts.
- Require certification for voting systems by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
An amendment was added to the bill to clarify procedures around review and input from local election administrators and the Secretary of State’s Office, and provide for intergovernmental coordination. The amendment also extends the authority to adopt RCV to counties.
View the adopted amendment (pdf).
League testimony on the bill
The League submitted a letter of support in partnership with the Association of Minnesota Counties for authorizing all cities to adopt ranked choice voting, consistent with League policies.