School board vacancies, uniform election dates, restored voting reports and more inside revamped elections law

Wide-ranging changes to election laws include creating five uniform dates for local elections, technical changes for local government officials elected to tribal councils to receive unpaid leaves of absences, allowing absentee voters to receive the same “I VOTED” stickers often given to polling place electors, and allowing some counties’ officers to transition from elected positions to appointed ones.

The omnibus elections law, with varying effective dates, is sponsored by Rep. Kelly Fenton (R-Woodbury) and Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer (R-Big Lake).

Wide-ranging changes

The law makes various changes all across statutes governing elections and their processes. Some of those changes include:

• permitting local government employees elected to tribal councils to take unpaid leaves of absence. Tribal councils were previously unlisted in the law allowing the benefit;

• immediately installing into office candidates who win special elections to school boards after receiving their election certificate, filing the bond and taking the oath of office;

• granting county auditors a 28-day extension for new voter registration input. The secretary of state, which will post each county’s compliance, can waive the initial 42-day deadline;

• expanding election judge appointments by allowing people to travel outside their home jurisdiction if the list of potential election judges has been exhausted. Local governments don’t have to shoulder their travel costs; and

• permitting absentee voters and voters in vote-by-mail precincts to receive ‘I VOTED’ stickers.

Reports

The new law also reorganizes various electronic right-to-vote reports required by the Corrections and Public Safety departments, and court administrators to the secretary of state. For instance, the state court administrator must now report on individuals 17 or older who are under guardianship and whose right to vote has been revoked or who are legally incompetent to vote.

The state court administrator and the Corrections Department must report on individuals with restored voter rights – the department’s report is focused on individuals discharged from a sentence.

The Department of Public Safety must report on individuals with temporary lawful status and the Office of the Secretary of State must determine if those individuals are registered to vote and prepare a list for county auditors.

Uniform election dates

Five uniform dates throughout the year for local school district special elections are established: the second Tuesday in February, the second Tuesday in April, the second Tuesday in May, the second Tuesday in August, which is the state’s primary date, or the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, usually a general election date. The only exception to those dates is in response to emergencies or disasters.

School districts will be permitted to consolidate polling places if their election is a standalone one. The polling places must be designated polling places already in the district.

These changes take place Jan. 1, 2018.

County offices

The new law grants certain counties special authorization for appointing, rather than electing, certain officers. They include recorders for Morrison, Benton, Stearns, Marshall and Rice counties and auditor-treasurers for Pine and Rice counties.

The law bars boards overseeing these positions from reverting to elected positions within three years. Then, if the counties decide to go back to elected positions, 60 percent of the governing board must approve or 10 percent of registered voters can submit a petition to have it on the ballot.

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