HF2562 Summary

• Proposes constitutional amendment to add Article IV, Section 27 enabling citizen initiatives to propose laws and referendums to repeal existing laws, requiring signatures equal to 5% of gubernatorial voters in each congressional district and statewide.

• Establishes procedures for initiative and referendum processes including petition filing, signature verification by random sampling of 5%, certification deadlines (July 1 filing, July 31 verification), and placement on state general election ballots only.

• Provides that initiated laws and referendum repeals take effect 30 days after majority vote approval, cannot be amended or repealed for two years, and are not subject to gubernatorial veto; if conflicting measures both pass, the one with more votes takes effect.

• Creates penalties for violations including misdemeanors for paid petition signing, filing without sponsor authorization, and false campaign materials; gross misdemeanors for fraud, force, false names, or duplicate signatures on petitions.

• Amends election canvassing procedures in Minnesota Statutes to require county and state canvassing boards to report votes for each initiative and referendum, and designates pink ballots for all initiative and referendum questions.