HF 1375 - Ranked-Choice Voting Summary

• Mandates ranked-choice voting for all federal, state, and legislative elections in Minnesota, with Chapter 204E procedures taking precedence over conflicting election laws.

• Authorizes cities, counties, townships, and school districts to voluntarily adopt ranked-choice voting for local offices by ordinance, resolution, or ballot measure, with adoption required at least 30 days before candidacy filing.

• Establishes detailed tabulation procedures including threshold calculations, multiple elimination rounds, surplus vote transfers, and tie-breaking by lot, with ballots requiring at least three candidate rankings when three or more candidates qualify.

• Permits municipalities to use electronic voting systems with approved automatic tabulating equipment reallocation features and requires new voting system purchases to support ranked-choice voting functionality including multiple rankings and voter error notifications.

• Requires secretary of state outreach on ranked-choice voting procedures, modifies ballot formats and canvassing procedures statewide, and applies ranked-choice voting to presidential nomination primaries and state canvassing board elections.