HF3724
Political subdivisions prohibited from establishing or enforcing ranked-choice voting.
Legislative Session 94 (2025-2026)
Related bill: SF4085
AI Generated Summary
Purpose
- The bill aims to prohibit ranked-choice voting in Minnesota elections. It would add a prohibition to Minnesota Statutes chapter 200, preventing the use or adoption of ranked-choice voting for federal, state, and local offices.
Main Provisions
Subd.1. Federal and state offices: Ranked-choice voting or any voting method similar to ranked-choice voting must not be used for any federal or state office.
Subd.2. Local offices: A political subdivision must not adopt or enforce any rule, resolution, or ordinance that establishes ranked-choice voting or any voting method similar to ranked-choice voting for local offices. A political subdivision includes all counties, cities, townships, and school districts in Minnesota, regardless of whether they are governed by statute or by a home rule charter.
Subd.3. Definition: Ranked-choice voting means any election method in which a voter ranks or assigns a numerical value to candidates for an office in order of the voter’s preference.
Signficant Changes to Existing Law
- Creates a new prohibition in Minnesota Statutes chapter 200 that bans ranked-choice voting for all elections in the state.
- Applies to federal, state, and local offices, and to all political subdivisions (counties, cities, townships, school districts) regardless of their form of governance (statutory or home rule charter).
- Clarifies the exact meaning of ranked-choice voting by providing a formal definition to be used in enforcing the prohibition.
Relevant terms (from bill text and implied impact) - ranked-choice voting - ranked-choice voting prohibition - voting method similar to ranked-choice voting - federal offices - state offices - local offices - political subdivision - counties - cities - townships - school districts - Minnesota Statutes chapter 200 - definition of ranked-choice voting - rule/resolution/ordinance (as used to implement voting methods)
Relevant Terms - ranked-choice voting - voting method - political subdivision - counties - cities - townships - school districts - Minnesota Statutes chapter 200 - prohibition - federal offices - state offices - local offices - home rule charter - rule/resolution/ordinance - ranking candidates - numerical value to candidates - order of preference
Actions
| Date | Chamber | Where | Type | Name | Committee Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 25, 2026 | House | Action | Introduction and first reading, referred to | Elections Finance and Government Operations | |
| February 26, 2026 | House | Action | Author added |
Bill information comes from public records published by the Office of the Revisor of Statutes, the Minnesota House and the Minnesota Senate. AI summaries are written by MinneSlate and are not official. MinneSlate is independent and is not affiliated with the State of Minnesota or the Minnesota Legislature.