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Bill

Bill

SF 2024

Counties authorization to establish pools of election judges by random selection

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Jim Carlson and 1 co-sponsor

Minnesota counties gain authority to randomly select election judges from pools rather than exclusively appointing them, expanding recruitment options for local election administration.

Referred to Elections
#elections #government-local
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SF 2024

Legislative bill overview

SF 2024 authorizes Minnesota counties to establish pools of election judges selected through random selection processes rather than relying solely on appointment methods. The bill provides counties with discretionary authority to implement randomized selection systems for building their election judge workforce while maintaining existing appointment options.

Why is this important

Election judges are critical to administering fair, secure elections at the local level. Creating alternative recruitment pathways through random selection could expand the diversity of the election judge pool, reduce administrative burden on county officials, and potentially address recruitment challenges some counties face in staffing polling places.

Potential points of contention

  • Random selection concerns: Critics may worry that random selection could result in less qualified judges compared to intentional appointment of trained, vetted candidates, potentially affecting election administration quality
  • Implementation variation: Allowing county discretion means different selection standards across Minnesota, which could create inconsistencies in election judge qualifications and practices statewide
  • Training and liability: Questions about whether randomly selected judges receive adequate training and how counties manage accountability if randomly selected judges perform poorly or make errors

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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