Laws governing ballot measures in Minnesota
From Ballotpedia
This page provides an overview of resources addressing the laws and procedures that govern statewide and local ballot measures in Minnesota, including constitutional amendments, recall procedures, and campaign finance regulations.
Explore the links below for more information:
- Types of ballot measures in Minnesota
- Amending the MinnesotaConstitution
- Laws governing local ballot measures in Minnesota
- Laws governing recall in Minnesota
- Laws governing state constitutional conventions in Minnesota
- Campaign finance requirements for Minnesota ballot measures
- Changes to laws governing ballot measures in Minnesota
Laws governing ballot measures in Minnesota
Types of ballot measures in Minnesota
- Citizens of Minnesota do not have the power to initiate statewide ballot measures.
- In Minnesota, the legislature can refer constitutional amendments to the ballot.
Amending the Minnesota Constitution
- Minnesota became a state in 1858. The first and current state constitution was ratified on October 13, 1857.
- The Minnesota Constitution can be amended in two ways:
- Legislatively referred constitutional amendment: A simple majority vote is required during one legislative session for the Minnesota State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
- Convention-referred constitutional amendment: A state constitutional convention can vote to refer constitutional changes to the ballot.
Laws governing local ballot measures in Minnesota
- Charter cities in Minnesota have a mandated initiative process for citizens to petition for and vote on charter amendments. Charter cities also have the authority to allow initiative for ordinances. Some have granted this power to citizens, others have not.
- Citizens in general law cities do not have broad initiative power to propose ordinances, but there are specific state statutes that grant a petition process for limited subject matter.[1]
- Ramsey County, as the only charter county, permits initiative for charter amendments and county measures.
Laws governing recall in Minnesota
- Article VIII, Section 6 of the Minnesota Constitution provides that the following state offices are subject to recall: governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, auditor, attorney general, state senator or representative, and judges of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, or a district court.
- Regulations for local recall elections differ based on jurisdictions.
Laws governing state constitutional conventions in Minnesota
- According to Section 3 of Article IX of the Minnesota Constitution, a two-thirds (66.67%) vote in each chamber during one legislative session is required to send a constitutional convention question to voters. A simple majority vote by the electorate is required to call the convention.
- Any proposed amendments approved by the convention require a 60% vote of the electorate to be ratified.
Campaign finance requirements for Minnesota ballot measures
- A ballot question committee must file a statement of organization within 14 days of making expenditures or receiving contributions of $5,000 or more.
- There are no contribution limits for ballot question political committees, though anonymous contributions are limited to $20.
Changes to laws governing ballot measures in Minnesota
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
As of September 2025, the Minnesota State Legislature had not passed legislation that changed the laws governing ballot measures in 2025.
See also
Footnotes
