SF 1827

1st Engrossment - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) Posted on 10/25/2023 09:26am

A bill for an act
relating to elections; modifying the definition of major political party; amending
Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 200.02, subdivision 7.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 200.02, subdivision 7, is amended to read:

Subd. 7.

Major political party.

(a) "Major political party" means a political party that
maintains a party organization in the state, political division or precinct in question and that
has presented at least one candidate for election to the office of:

(1) governor and lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, or attorney general
at the last preceding state general election for those offices; or

(2) presidential elector or U.S. senator at the last preceding state general election for
presidential electors; and

whose candidate received votes in each county in that election and received votes from not
less than deleted text begin five deleted text end new text begin ten new text end percent of the total number of individuals who voted in that election.

(b) "Major political party" also means a political party that maintains a party organization
in the state, political subdivision, or precinct in question and that has presented at least 45
candidates for election to the office of state representative, 23 candidates for election to the
office of state senator, four candidates for election to the office of representative in Congress,
and one candidate for election to each of the following offices: governor and lieutenant
governor, attorney general, secretary of state, and state auditor, at the last preceding state
general election for those offices.

(c) "Major political party" also means a political party that maintains a party organization
in the state, political subdivision, or precinct in question and whose members present to the
secretary of state at any time before the close of filing for the state partisan primary ballot
a petition for a place on the state partisan primary ballot, which petition contains valid
signatures of a number of the party members equal to at least five percent of the total number
of individuals who voted in the preceding state general election. A signature is valid only
if signed no more than one year prior to the date the petition was filed.

(d) A political party whose candidate receives a sufficient number of votes at a state
general election described in paragraph (a) or a political party that presents candidates at
an election as required by paragraph (b) becomes a major political party as of January 1
following that election and retains its major party status for at least two state general elections
even if the party fails to present a candidate who receives the number and percentage of
votes required under paragraph (a) or fails to present candidates as required by paragraph
(b) at subsequent state general elections.

(e) A major political party whose candidates fail to receive the number and percentage
of votes required under paragraph (a) and that fails to present candidates as required by
paragraph (b) at each of two consecutive state general elections described by paragraph (a)
or (b), respectively, loses major party status as of December 31 following the later of the
two consecutive state general elections.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

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