Constitutional amendment proposal to allow the lieutenant governor to cast a vote in the house of representatives in case of a tie

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Liz Boldon and 3 co-sponsors

Allows the lieutenant governor to cast a tie-breaking vote in the Minnesota House, counted as a House member for that vote only.

Referred to State and Local Government

#constitutionalamendments #government-state #legislature

What the bill does

Proposes a constitutional amendment to Article IV, section 22 of the Minnesota Constitution.

If adopted, it would authorize the lieutenant governor to cast a vote in the Minnesota House of Representatives when there is a tie on a question before the House.

The lieutenant governor’s vote would be entered into the journal and counted as if cast by a member elected to the House.

The lieutenant governor would still not be considered a member of the House for any other purpose.

Key provisions and changes

Section 1: constitutional amendment text

Current language references the requirement that laws pass by a majority of all members elected to each house and that votes are recorded in the journal.
New language (upon amendment) adds: if the House is equally divided on a question, the lieutenant governor may cast a vote in the House. This vote is to be entered into the journal and counted as if cast by a House member.
The lieutenant governor’s status as lieutenant governor remains unchanged for other purposes; they are not treated as a House member outside this specific tie-breaking scenario.

Section 2: submission to voters

The amendment would be submitted to Minnesota voters at the 2028 general election.
Ballot language would present a yes/no question:
“Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to allow the lieutenant governor to cast a vote on a question on which members of the house of representatives are equally divided?”

Section 3: reviser instruction

Instructs the Revisor of Statutes to change the headnote of Article IV, section 22 to read: “Majority vote to pass a law.”

Who/what is affected

The legislative process in the Minnesota House of Representatives, specifically tie-break situations, would be affected.

The lieutenant governor’s role would expand only in ties within the House; otherwise, the lieutenant governor’s duties remain unchanged.

The general electorate would vote on the constitutional amendment, thereby deciding whether the lieutenant governor can cast a House tie-breaking vote.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Introduction and first reading occurred on April 30, 2026.

Referral: State and Local Government Committee.

Substantive decision point: if the bill advances, the amendment would be submitted to voters at the 2028 general election.

The reviser instruction is to update the constitution’s headnote to reflect the change in how a “majority vote” is interpreted for law passage.

Notes and context

The amendment targets a specific procedural scenario (tied votes in the House) and does not alter requirements for passage in the Senate or for any other legislative action.

If enacted by voters, the lieutenant governor would cast the deciding vote only in tied House votes and would have the same formal status in the record as a House member for that vote.

This summary captures the bill’s purpose, the substantive changes proposed, who is affected, and key procedural milestones. If you’d like, I can provide a side-by-side comparison with the current constitutional language or a brief impact assessment.

Bill