ELECTIONS AND LEGISLATIVE REFORM
ISSUE
How can we make changes to Minnesota’s state election process and the legislative process to increase the Legislature’s accountability to all Minnesotans?
POLICY
· Move the primary election to June. To drive stronger voter turnout, ensure a more representative candidate selection process and maximize candidate voter contact efforts, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce supports moving Minnesota’s primary to June.
In August 2012, fewer than one in every ten Minnesota voters went to the polls to vote in the primary election, the second lowest voter turnout for a primary election since 1950. Voter engagement in mid-August is at a very low point – holding a primary election when voters are largely tuned-out from politics does not encourage the level of participation necessary for a truly representative process. Further, Minnesota’s mid-August primary election is one of the latest in the nation and is out of sync with regional counterparts. Moving the primary to June will not only place Minnesota in the middle of the primary calendar but also better align with other Midwest states.
A June primary will minimize the intraparty debate and maximize the time candidates have to take their case to the full electorate. Moving the primary to June will be beneficial to candidates because it will provide them with adequate time to campaign for the general election without the diversion of an intraparty challenge. Under the current mid-August primary system, intraparty primary races often stretch out longer than the general election race, leaving little time for the direct campaign between the candidates who will ultimately be on the November ballot. Once past a primary challenge, nominees can focus their efforts on meeting voters and raising the money necessary to mount a successful general election campaign. An earlier primary also levels the playing field for candidates with primary challenges by providing them with time to refocus their campaign on the general election and catch up to candidates without primary challenges more quickly.
A primary election that occurs when citizens are better engaged in the process and allows adequate time for general election debate will improve the election process, and as a result, the Legislature will be more likely to represent the state’s overall population.
· Draw legislative district lines by commission. It is time for Minnesota to adopt a system that works to more effectively redraw district lines every 10 years to ensure that the criteria reflect our population’s growth and mobility. An independent redistricting commission, selected by the Legislature, governor and secretary of state, would remove a time-consuming step from the redistricting process, and insulate elected officials from the perception that lines have been drawn for political reasons.
· Stagger terms for state senators. The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce supports switching to a staggered system for electing state senators for two reasons. First, overlapping terms promote continuity. A body should not be subject to replacement entirely in response to short-lived, controversial political issues that largely mobilize the electorate in one direction. Second, staggered terms mean that at any given time, a portion of the Senate will behave more like trustees (those not facing re-election for three to four years) and the other half more like delegates, representing the immediate interests of their voters. Having the trustee and delegate roles evenly split among members at all times ensures that a balance between sound policy-making and representative government is fostered.
· Reform the legislative process to increase transparency. In 2008, the House Government Operations, Reform, Technology and Elections Committee studied ways to improve the legislative process. The report lists several options that would make the process easier for citizens to understand. They include:
o Establish an annual deadline for introduction of bills to be considered that year.
o Require committees to give better notice of their agendas, including notice of major amendments to be considered.
o Prohibit committees from scheduling a bill for a hearing until the bill is introduced and available to the public.
o Require omnibus budget bills to contain only budget-related material. Language items should relate to budget decisions made in the bill or to general matters with a fiscal impact within the jurisdiction of the bill.
o Require finance and tax committees and divisions to receive applicable fiscal and revenue notes for the correct version of the bill before the committee or division acts on the bill.
BUSINESS IMPACT
Businesses invest in Minnesota. From the moment a business is started, it adds to the economic fabric of our state. It is also, like every Minnesota citizen, subject to taxes, regulations, and laws. Many businesses have begun to conclude that the process of making laws has been overwhelmed by politics, and by elected officials who have fewer ties to the private-sector economy. Changes to the process by which we elect legislators and conduct legislative sessions is becoming a “business issue.” It is a necessary first step to getting more attention to private-sector issues.
Furthermore, there exists a de facto disincentive for Minnesota business owners and private-sector leaders to run for office. The commitment necessary to gain enough traction in the party nominating process, and, if elected, serve in the Legislature, makes service an impossibility for otherwise qualified, motivated Minnesotans with a direct stake in their government. Reducing the barriers to service in the Legislature by returning the Legislature to biennial sessions will greatly enhance the likelihood that businesspeople will run for, and serve, in the Legislature, adding much-needed experience to the process.
Prepared by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce