Legislative UpdateThings are heating up at the Legislature as we enter crunch time. With just two weeks left in the session, there is a lot of work left to be done. With some bills still outstanding, it’s times like now we wish we had those three missing weeks at the beginning of session, but we are still working hard to get bills done so we have time for conference committees and get our work done before May 19th. Aside from the work on bills, including my Elections bill, I had the opportunity to meet with the Legislative Audit Commission, local teachers, and Full-Service Community Schools. Elections Bill Passes the HouseOne of the key responsibilities of the Legislature is to ensure the foundation of our democratic system, elections, are reliable, consistent, and fair. On Thursday, the House passed an Elections Omnibus bill that takes practical steps to improve election procedures across the state. I was glad to see this legislation earn bipartisan support, as election integrity should not be a partisan matter. The bill includes several technical updates that will make it easier for counties and cities to comply with the law, improve confidence in the process, and prevent the kinds of errors we’ve seen in recent cycles. A significant portion of the bill addresses the role and availability of election judges. Counties will now be required to reach out to the appropriate major political party if they run short of election judges from that party. This is critical to preserving balanced oversight of the voting process. Additionally, political parties will be able to designate alternate judges in advance so that, in the event of a cancellation, parity is still maintained. The bill also mandates that judges from both major parties be present in every precinct, particularly during moments such as voter assistance or drive-up voting. These provisions are essential to ensuring elections are conducted with transparency and balance. The legislation also contains updates designed to help election workers perform their duties with confidence. A new hotline, to be administered by the Secretary of State, will allow ballot workers to receive timely answers to procedural questions during voting hours. This support mechanism will help reduce inconsistencies in the application of election law. Additionally, a new prohibition will prevent polling places from being located inside cannabis facilities, following the same principle already applied to liquor establishments. Recent incidents have highlighted the need for more robust absentee ballot procedures. One such case occurred last year in Shakopee, where 20 absentee ballots were discarded in a race decided by just 14 votes. To address this, the bill includes a clear statutory process for documenting absentee ballot handling, improves the timeline for ballot drop-off to ensure timely counting, and requires counties to maintain chain-of-custody plans. Ballot envelopes will now be retained for proper review, and clearer guidance will be provided to election officials to reduce the likelihood of future mistakes. Other updates in the bill include improved transparency in special elections, a streamlined process to resolve ballot errors without court intervention, and a requirement that candidates reside in the districts they intend to represent. Finally, security protocols for voting equipment will be strengthened, requiring passwords and keys to better protect voting information. Local Government BillThe local government bill, though smaller than the state government bill, also passed on Thursday. Minnesota is home to many unique communities with many unique needs. Byron, for instance, has very different needs compared to Edina. Throughout the discussions on this bill, we tried to examine the needs of different communities across the state by working with community leaders. This bill allows local governments options they need to best serve their citizens. That is what the government operations committee does. Other BillsAside from these two bills, we also passed a handful of others like Transportation, Veterans, Commerce, Housing, and Higher Education. Some other bills, like Energy, Health, and Education, are still in the works. Education is going to be interesting. We had reached an agreement on the bill; it passed the Education Committee and Ways and Means Committee before Democrats reneged on the signed agreement and pulled their support. I’ll provide more details on that bill next week. |