HF 66

as introduced - 83rd Legislature (2003 - 2004) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to elections; providing an instant runoff for 
  1.3             presidential, congressional, and statewide elections; 
  1.4             permitting a municipal governing body to adopt the 
  1.5             instant runoff for municipal offices; proposing coding 
  1.6             for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 204B. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  [204B.351] [INSTANT RUNOFF.] 
  1.9      Ballots containing the office of president, senator and 
  1.10  representative in Congress, constitutional offices, and 
  1.11  legislative offices must be designed to allow the voter to 
  1.12  indicate a first and second choice for each office.  If no 
  1.13  candidate receives a majority of the first choice votes cast for 
  1.14  an office, the second choice votes for the office must be 
  1.15  reallocated in the manner provided in this section. 
  1.16     After the first choice votes for an office have been 
  1.17  counted, the second choice votes cast on the ballots on which 
  1.18  the first choice candidate received the lowest number of votes 
  1.19  must be reallocated as indicated on the ballot.  If more than 
  1.20  three candidates appeared on the ballot for the office, second 
  1.21  choice votes shall be reallocated as indicated by the voters 
  1.22  whose first choice candidate received the second lowest number 
  1.23  of votes for the office.  Reallocation must continue in this 
  1.24  manner until (1) one candidate has received a majority of the 
  1.25  votes cast for the office, or (2) all votes for the office have 
  1.26  been reallocated.  If no candidate receives a majority of the 
  2.1   votes cast for the office after all second choice votes have 
  2.2   been reallocated, the candidate who received the highest number 
  2.3   of votes must be declared duly elected by the canvassing board.  
  2.4      The governing body of a municipality may, by ordinance or 
  2.5   resolution adopted at least three months before the next 
  2.6   municipal general election, elect to comply with the provisions 
  2.7   of this section in elections for municipal officers.