This bill proposes an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution to create a Bipartisan Redistricting Commission that will take over the responsibility of establishing congressional and legislative district boundaries after each federal decennial census. The amendment will modify Article IV, Section 3, by removing the legislature's authority to prescribe district boundaries and instead assigning this power to the newly formed commission. The commission will consist of eight members appointed by legislative leaders, with specific eligibility criteria excluding current elected officials and their family members. The commission is required to adopt a redistricting plan by December 31 of the year following the census, which will then take effect at the state general election held two years later.

In addition to establishing the commission, the bill outlines principles for redistricting, including equal population, contiguity, compactness, and the preservation of minority representation and communities of interest. It mandates a technical review of redistricting plans to ensure accurate representation and allows for technical corrections to be made up to 25 weeks before the state primary election, requiring a minimum of six affirmative votes from commission members for adoption. The bill also expands the definition of "public official" to include commission members and assigns the secretary of state the responsibility of disseminating the redistricting plan to county auditors. The proposed changes will take effect on January 1, 2030, contingent upon the adoption of the constitutional amendments, and will apply to the redistricting cycle of that year and beyond.

Statutes affected:
Introduction: 10A.01