Minnesota Session Laws - 1987, Regular Session

  

                         Laws of Minnesota 1987 

                        CHAPTER 297-S.F.No. 397 
           An act relating to elections; setting times for 
          changing election precincts and redistricting certain 
          election districts; amending Minnesota Statutes 1986, 
          sections 204B.14, subdivision 3; and 375.025, 
          subdivision 1; proposing coding for new law in 
          Minnesota Statutes, chapter 204B. 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
    Section 1.  [204B.135] [REDISTRICTING OF ELECTION 
DISTRICTS.] 
    Subdivision 1.  [CITIES WITH WARDS.] A city that elects its 
council members by wards may not redistrict those wards in a 
year ending in one or before the legislature has been 
redistricted in a year ending in two.  The wards must be 
redistricted within 45 days after the legislature has been 
redistricted or by May 10 in the year ending in two, whichever 
is first. 
    Subd. 2.  [OTHER ELECTION DISTRICTS.] For purposes of this 
subdivision, "local government election district" means a county 
district, park and recreation district, school district, or soil 
and water conservation district.  Local government election 
districts, other than city wards covered by subdivision 1, may 
not be redistricted until precinct boundaries are re-established 
under section 204B.14, subdivision 3, paragraph (c) or by May 10 
in a year ending in two, whichever comes first.  Election 
districts covered by this subdivision must be redistricted 
within 65 days of the time when the legislature has been 
redistricted or by June 1 in the year ending in two, whichever 
comes first. 
    Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1986, section 204B.14, 
subdivision 3, is amended to read:  
    Subd. 3.  [BOUNDARY CHANGES; PROHIBITIONS; EXCEPTION.] 
Notwithstanding other law or charter provisions to the contrary, 
during the period from January 1 in any year ending in seven 
to January 1 in any the time when the legislature has been 
redistricted in a year ending in two, no changes may be made in 
the boundaries of any election precinct except as provided in 
this subdivision. 
    (a) If a city annexes an unincorporated area located in the 
same county as the city and adjacent to the corporate boundary, 
the annexed area may be included in an election precinct 
immediately adjacent to it.  
    (b) A municipality or county may establish new election 
precincts lying entirely within the boundaries of any existing 
precinct and shall assign names to the new precincts which 
include the name of the former precinct.  
    During a year ending in one, the council of each home rule 
charter city which elects its council members by wards and which 
has a city election in the year ending in one or which has a 
general city election before March 15 in a year ending in two 
may change precinct boundaries for the purpose of reapportioning 
wards.  As soon as possible after legislative apportionment, and 
prior to the next election, cities shall rearrange the 
    (c) Precinct boundaries must be reestablished within 45 
days of the time when the legislature has been redistricted, or 
by May 10 in a year ending in two, whichever comes first. 
    Precincts must be arranged so that no precinct lies in more 
than one legislative district.  
    Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1986, section 375.025, 
subdivision 1, is amended to read:  
    Subdivision 1.  [STANDARDS.] The redistricting plan in use 
in a county shall be used until a new plan is adopted in 
accordance with this section.  Each county shall be divided into 
as many districts numbered consecutively as it has members of 
the county board.  Commissioner districts shall be bounded by 
town, municipal, ward, or precinct lines.  Each district shall 
be composed of contiguous territory as regular and compact in 
form as practicable, depending upon the geography of the county 
involved and shall be as nearly equal in population as possible. 
No district shall vary in population more than ten percent from 
the average for all districts in the county, unless the result 
forces a voting precinct to be split.  A majority of the least 
populous districts shall contain not less than a majority of the 
population of the county.  A county may be redistricted by the 
county board after each federal census.  When it appears after a 
federal census that the districts of the county are not in 
accord with the standards set forth in this subdivision, the 
county shall be redistricted by the county board within 180 days 
of the date on which certified copies of the latest federal 
census are filed with the secretary of state in accordance with 
section 600.18 the times set in section 1, subdivision 2.  
Before acting to redistrict, the county board, or a 
redistricting commission if one is appointed, shall publish 
three weeks notice of its purpose, stating the time and place of 
the meeting where the matter will be considered, in the 
newspaper having the contract to publish the commissioners' 
proceedings for the county for the current year. 
    Approved May 28, 1987