S.F. No. 2985 requires a presidential primary in Minnesota to be held on a date jointly selected by the party chairs of the major political parties. There is a separate presidential primary ballot for each party and each party determines which candidates will be placed on the ballot for that party.  Each voter must request the ballot of the party for whom they wish to vote. The party choice is recorded and becomes part of the voter public information list. The results of the presidential primary bind the party election of delegates. The Secretary of State must reimburse counties and municipalities for the expense of conducting the presidential primary. This bill does not require a presidential primary in 2016.

Section 1. Public information lists. The voter public information list must include the party choice of any voter who voted in the most recent presidential primary.

Section 2. Time and manner of holding; postponement. In the year of a presidential primary, party caucuses cannot be held on the date of the presidential primary. When the parties do not jointly submit a caucus date, the default date remains on the first Tuesday in February in a year when there is no presidential primary; in a year with a presidential primary, the default date is the Tuesday immediately following the presidential primary.

Section 3. Preference ballot. Parties are no longer required to have a presidential preference ballot at party caucuses.

Sections 4, 5, and 6 make conforming changes.

Section 7. Permanent registration; verification of registration. At the presidential primary, the polling place roster must include a statement that the voter agrees with the general principles of the party for which the voter plans to vote.

Section 8 makes a conforming change.

Section 9. Presidential primary established. A presidential primary must be held in each year when the president is elected. The party chairs must jointly submit the date on which the presidential primary will be held. If a date is not jointly submitted, the default date is the first Tuesday in March.  No other election can be held on the date of the presidential primary.  The Secretary of State, in consultation with the party chairs, must adopt rules to implement the presidential primary.

Section 10. Conducting the presidential primary. The presidential primary is conducted in the same manner as the state primary unless otherwise provided. An individual must be registered to vote before voting in the presidential primary. The voter must request the ballot of the party for whose candidate the voter wishes to vote. The election judge records the choice in the polling place roster. The Secretary of State must immediately notify the party chairs after the state canvassing board declares the results. The results of the presidential primary must bind the party election of delegates.

Section 12. Form of ballots; candidates on ballot. This section prescribes the format of the ballot and provides the process for candidates to be placed on the ballot.

Subdivision 1. Form. Unless otherwise provided, the presidential primary ballot is the same as the state primary ballot. There must be a separate ballot for each party. Each ballot must include a place for a voter to indicate a preference for having delegates to the party's national convention remain uncommitted and a place to write-in a candidate.

Subdivision 2. Candidates on the ballot. Each party determines which candidates will be placed on the ballot for that party. The chair of each party must submit the names of the candidates to the Secretary of State no later than 56 days before the presidential primary. The chair also indicates in what order the candidates should be placed on the ballot. Changes cannot be made after the names are submitted.

Section 12. Notice of presidential primary; sample ballots. This section describes several required notices.

Subdivision 1. Notice of primary to counties and municipalities. Twenty weeks before the presidential primary, the Secretary of State must notify the county auditor of the date of the presidential primary. In turn, the county auditor must notify each municipal clerk in the county of the date of the presidential primary.

Subdivision 2. Sample ballots. Seventy days before the presidential primary, the Secretary of State must provide a sample ballot to each county auditor.

Subdivision 3. Notice of primary to public. At least fifteen days before the presidential primary, each municipal clerk must post a public notice of the presidential primary. The county auditor must post a notice for polling places in unorganized territory. The city or county may also publish notice, but is not required to do so. Failure to give notice does not invalidate the primary.

Section 13. Reimbursement of election expenses. This section provides the method for the Secretary of State to reimburse counties and municipalities for the expense of the presidential primary.

Subdivision 1. Reimbursement by Secretary of State. The Secretary of State is required to reimburse counties and municipalities for presidential primary expenses from money appropriated to the Secretary of State for this purpose. The Secretary of State may retain an unspecified amount of the appropriation to administer the reimbursement.

Subdivision 2. Reimbursable expenses. Counties and municipalities may be reimbursed for the specified types of expenses.

Subdivision 3. Certification of costs. Within 60 days after the presidential primary, the county auditor and municipal clerk must submit to the Secretary of State a request for reimbursement, along with supporting documentation. The Secretary of State must issue reimbursements within 90 days of the presidential primary.

Subdivision 4. Apportionment of reimbursement. If the total amount of reimbursement requests exceeds the amount appropriated to the Secretary of State for this purpose, the Secretary of State must apportion the reimbursements based on the number of registered voters in each jurisdiction.

Section 14. Effective date. This act is effective on July 1, 2017.

ACS/syl