HF1890

This Minnesota House bill (H.F. No. 1890) proposes changes to how legislative vacancies are filled. Key provisions include:

1. Vacancies Due to Candidate Misconduct: If a legislative seat becomes vacant due to a successful election contest based on candidate misconduct, the chief clerk of the House or secretary of the Senate must notify the secretary of state.

2. Automatic Succession: Instead of holding a special election, the candidate who received the second-most votes in the most recent general election would take office unless an election contest is filed within two business days.

3. Additional Grounds for Vacancy: The bill expands the list of reasons a legislative seat may be deemed vacant, including:

   • Candidate misconduct.
   • Ineligibility to hold office.
   • Significant violations of certain campaign finance laws.

4. Process for Declaring Vacancies: If the House or Senate determines that a legislator is ineligible or unqualified, they must declare the seat vacant, and the second-place candidate from the last general election takes the seat under the same process.

5. Exceptions: If no other candidate from the last election is available, standard vacancy procedures (such as special elections) may still apply.

Overall, the bill seeks to streamline the process of filling legislative vacancies by allowing the runner-up in the previous election to assume office in specific circumstances, reducing the need for special elections.