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John,
It's been a hectic and stressful start to the year by most measures. It's also been a confusing start to the legislative session here in Minnesota. The close election results of last November and the events that have followed have created a set of circumstances that is unprecedented in almost all of American politics, and keeping up with it all is close to a full-time job.
To help everyone keep track of it all, we've created this helpful legislative explainer, which we hope will provide context to the headlines that will be coming out of the capitol in the coming weeks.
In the Minnesota State House
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House District 40B — Special Election
In November, both Republicans and the DFL won 67 seats in the State House. This tie led to talks on a power-sharing agreement between the two parties that would last the next two years.
However, at the end of last year the Republican Party successfully challenged the residency of then-Representative-elect Curtis Johnson (DFL), who won HD 40B (Roseville and Shoreview) in November. The court ruled Johnson ineligible to be seated.
Johnson sent a letter to the Governor resigning the seat, which was held at that time by Jamie Becker-Finn. Governor Walz scheduled the election based on a vacancy due to resignation, a different timeline than a vacancy due to successful election contest. The election was scheduled to take place January 28.
On January 17, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled in favor of the GOP's challenge regarding the timing of the January 28 special election, stating that Governor Walz should have waited until the legislative session began to call the election.
State law requires the Governor to wait until 22 days until after the start of the legislative session to call a special session in the case of a vacancy due to a successful election contest. The election could take place, at the earliest, on March 5.
The district leans heavily DFL, and David Gottfried, the DFL-endorsed candidate and a FairVote Minnesota democracy badge recipient, is favored to win. A DFL victory would result in a 67-67 tie in the House, undoing the GOP's temporary majority.
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House District 54A — Brad Tabke's Disputed Seat
Representative Brad Tabke (DFL) won reelection by just 14 votes in his seat representing Shakopee. However, the discovery of 20 missing ballots led to a Republican legal challenge seeking to overturn the election.
The court heard testimony from six voters whose missing ballots were proven to favor Tabke, confirming his victory. The court ruled in his favor and advised the legislature to seat him. Despite the court's ruling, the temporarily-GOP-controlled House has threatened to not seat Tabke, preserving their slim majority. In response, the DFL has boycotted the session, a procedural motion that they believed denied the GOP a quorum.
The Quorum Debate
The GOP argued that a quorum requires a majority of the current sitting members: 67 of the 133 present members. The DFL contended that quorum is a majority of the full 134-member House: 68 members.
On opening day, Secretary of State Steve Simon, acting as the presiding officer, ruled there was no quorum and adjourned the session. The GOP ignored this ruling, convened, and elected Representative Lisa Demuth as speaker.
On Friday, January 24, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled in favor of the DFL and found that 68 votes are needed to conduct business. In response, the Republicans filed a lawsuit on January 30 to force Democrats to return to the capitol.
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The Power-Sharing Proposal
In an effort to resolve the impasse, DFL leader Melissa Hortman and her party have proposed returning to session under a power-sharing agreement. This would grant the GOP the speakership for the biennium, a Republican chair and Republican majority on their proposed fraud/state oversight committee, co-chairs and equal representation on every other committee in exchange for a commitment to seat Representative Tabke, as recommended by the court. The GOP has rejected the offer, opting instead to continue conducting business without the DFL present.
In the Minnesota State Senate
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Senate District 60 (Northeast Minneapolis) — Special Election [[link removed]]
There were no regular elections for state senators in November, meaning the DFL retained control of the State Senate by one vote. The Senate was then tied (33 DFL / 33 GOP) following the passing of Minneapolis Senator Kari Dziedzic (DFL) in late 2024.
The general election for this solidly DFL seat occurred on January 28th. RCV Democracy Champion Doron Clark (DFL) won and restored Democrats’ 1-seat majority. He was sworn in earlier today.
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In another recent development, a court has postponed Senator Nicole Mitchell’s burglary trial, originally set for late January, to within 60 days of May 19 to avoid session conflicts. This decision ensures the DFL retains its Senate majority throughout the remainder of the 2025 session.
The first weeks of the 2025 session have been marked by legal battles, partisan deadlock, and high-stakes special elections. The outcomes of the January 28 and March special election contests will likely restore equilibrium, but this tumultuous start highlights the razor-thin margins of power in Minnesota’s legislature.
In the time before the legislature takes its final shape, Senator Koran and other anti-RCV lawmakers have already put forward a bill to ban RCV across the state, including in cities that already use it. This is not the first time and, like sessions before, we must stop this bill dead in its tracks. Please make a donation — in any amount you can — to help us fight this anti-Democratic, anti-local control measure. We will keep you updated and let you know what you can do to make sure this bill does not advance.
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There are sure to be many more developments as the legislative session unfolds. To get the latest, please join us for our in-person Legislative Briefing on Tuesday, February 18th in NE Minneapolis with our legislative leaders and RCV coauthors. We hope to see you there!
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The FairVote Minnesota Team
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FairVote Minnesota
550 Vandalia Street, Suite 210
Saint Paul, MN 55114
United States
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