1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to elections; modifying the definition of major political party;amending 
1.3 	Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 200.02, subdivision 7.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 200.02, subdivision 7, is amended to read:
1.6 		Subd. 7.Major political party. (a) "Major political party" means a political party that 
1.7 	maintains a party organization in the state, political division or precinct in question and that 
1.8 	has presented at least one candidate for election to the office of:
1.9 	(1) governor and lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, or attorney general 
1.10 	at the last preceding state general election for those offices; or
1.11 	(2) presidential elector or U.S. senator at the last preceding state general election for 
1.12 	presidential electors; and
1.13 	whose candidate received votes in each county in that election and received votes from not 
1.14 	less than five ten percent of the total number of individuals who voted in that election.
1.15 	(b) "Major political party" also means a political party that maintains a party organization 
1.16 	in the state, political subdivision, or precinct in question and that has presented at least 45 
1.17 	candidates for election to the office of state representative, 23 candidates for election to the 
1.18 	office of state senator, four candidates for election to the office of representative in Congress, 
1.19 	and one candidate for election to each of the following offices: governor and lieutenant 
1.20 	governor, attorney general, secretary of state, and state auditor, at the last preceding state 
1.21 	general election for those offices.
2.1 	(c) "Major political party" also means a political party that maintains a party organization 
2.2 	in the state, political subdivision, or precinct in question and whose members present to the 
2.3 	secretary of state at any time before the close of filing for the state partisan primary ballot 
2.4 	a petition for a place on the state partisan primary ballot, which petition contains valid 
2.5 	signatures of a number of the party members equal to at least five percent of the total number 
2.6 	of individuals who voted in the preceding state general election. A signature is valid only 
2.7 	if signed no more than one year prior to the date the petition was filed.
2.8 	(d) A political party whose candidate receives a sufficient number of votes at a state 
2.9 	general election described in paragraph (a) or a political party that presents candidates at 
2.10 	an election as required by paragraph (b) becomes a major political party as of January 1 
2.11 	following that election and retains its major party status for at least two state general elections 
2.12 	even if the party fails to present a candidate who receives the number and percentage of 
2.13 	votes required under paragraph (a) or fails to present candidates as required by paragraph 
2.14 	(b) at subsequent state general elections.
2.15 	(e) A major political party whose candidates fail to receive the number and percentage 
2.16 	of votes required under paragraph (a) and that fails to present candidates as required by 
2.17 	paragraph (b) at each of two consecutive state general elections described by paragraph (a) 
2.18 	or (b), respectively, loses major party status as of December 31 following the later of the 
2.19 	two consecutive state general elections.

2.20 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment and 
2.21 	applies to a party's status at the state primary and general election held in 2024 and thereafter. 
2.22 	Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, beginning on the effective date of this section, the 
2.23 	secretary of state, the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, and any other office 
2.24 	of the state or of a local unit of government with duties related to the administration or 
2.25 	financing of elections may only recognize a political party as a major political party for 
2.26 	purposes of those elections if the party has met the qualifying thresholds as amended by 
2.27 	this section.