S.F. No. 4894 Summary

• Constitutional Amendment (if ratified): Creates an Independent Citizens' Redistricting Commission with 15 members (5 each from largest party, second largest party, and unaffiliated voters) to draw congressional and legislative districts starting in 2030, replacing legislature-controlled redistricting.

• Fallback Advisory Commission (if amendment not ratified): Establishes a Citizens Advisory Redistricting Commission of 15 members that proposes redistricting plans to the legislature for approval, with three submission opportunities and court review if legislature fails to approve.

• Redistricting Principles: Both commission models must follow strict criteria including population equality, minority representation protections, community of interest preservation, partisan fairness standards (one-seat tolerance for congressional, seven-point tolerance for legislative), and prohibitions on using partisan voting data or incumbent locations.

• Transparency Requirements: Commissions must hold minimum 24 public hearings (8+ in Greater Minnesota for independent model, 16 statewide for advisory model), publish draft plans with reports, and allow public comment periods before finalizing maps.

• Appropriations and Effective Date: Provides unspecified onetime appropriations for implementation; takes effect January 1, 2025, contingent on constitutional amendment ratification (or if not ratified, the advisory commission provisions take effect).