MN SF1071

Authorizes home rule charter cities, statutory cities, school districts, and counties to adopt ranked choice voting for local offices through a ballot question presented to voters, effective after January 1, 2026 or adoption of administrative rules by the Secretary of State

Establishes detailed procedures for single-seat elections using "single-seat single transferable vote" tabulation and multiple-seat elections using "multiple-seat single transferable vote" tabulation, with candidates eliminated in rounds until winners reach the vote threshold

Requires ballots to allow voters to rank at least three candidates in order of preference, with clear instructions on marking and ranking; ballots must handle skipped rankings, overvotes, and repeat candidate rankings

Mandates postelection reviews comparing hand counts against electronic voting system results, with additional precinct reviews required if discrepancies exceed established thresholds

Requires voting systems used for ranked choice voting to be certified by an Election Assistance Commission-accredited test lab and capable of capturing cast vote records, notifying voters of ranking errors, and providing minimum three rankings