HF898

This legislative bill proposes changes to how Minnesota appoints presidential electors, moving away from a system tied to the national popular vote back to a method based on state-level decisions. The main points of the bill include:

1. Designation and Election of Presidential Electors: Presidential electors and their alternates will be nominated by the major political parties of the state through their internal processes, and each party must nominate one elector per congressional district and two at-large from the state.

2. Procedure for Certifying Nominees: The chair of each major political party is responsible for certifying the names of the nominees for presidential electors and their alternates, along with the party candidates for president and vice president, to the Secretary of State at least 71 days before the general election.

3. State Canvassing Board Responsibilities: The State Canvassing Board will open and canvass the returns from the presidential electors during their meetings. They will prepare a statement of votes cast and declare the winning nominees based on the state's results unless previously governed by a national popular vote agreement.

4. Withdrawal from the National Popular Vote Agreement: The bill formally withdraws Minnesota from the Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote. This implies that Minnesota will no longer consider the national popular vote totals when appointing presidential electors.

5. Repeal of Existing Statutes: The bill repeals current Minnesota statutes that had enacted the national popular vote agreement into state law, essentially undoing the commitment to appoint presidential electors based on the outcome of the national popular vote irrespective of the state vote.

In summary, this bill seeks to revert the process of electing presidential electors in Minnesota to a state-centric system, disconnecting from the national popular vote initiative, which aimed at electing the president strictly based on the overall popular vote across all states. This move emphasizes the state's autonomy in determining its own electors based on its specific electoral outcomes.