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county metropolitan area to hold elections <br />by mail. A city may conduct mail balloting <br />for an individual precinct having fewer than <br />100 registered voters, subject to the approval <br />of the county auditor. <br />Staffing and equipment needs can be very <br />costly and mail balloting is an efficient way <br />of conducting an election for cities that have <br />lower numbers of registered voters <br />regardless of location in or outside the metro <br />area. It is not uncommon for the redistricting <br />process to create very small precincts in the <br />metro area that are more cost-effectively <br />served by a mail balloting process. <br />Additionally, for special elections that <br />historically have lower turnout, mail <br />balloting could increase voter participation. <br />Response: The League of Minnesota <br />Cities supports allowing all cities to <br />conduct mail balloting. <br />SD-78. Modernizing Charter <br />Amendment Process <br />Issue: Minn. Stat. § 410.12 outlines the <br />process for amending city charters and one <br />of the methods is citizen petition and Minn. <br />Rules 8205 provides specific criteria for <br />formatting. City staff then review the <br />petition to determine if it is valid and has <br />met statutory requirements for completion <br />and submission. To ensure that both citizens <br />and city staff fully understand the <br />requirements, clarifying changes should be <br />made. <br />Response: To improve the process for <br />amending a city charter, the League of <br />Minnesota Cities supports: <br />a) Adding clarifying language regarding <br />"registered voters". These voters <br />must be eligible voters in the district <br />for which the petition is being <br />circulated who are in active status on <br />65 <br />the statewide registration system at <br />the time of petition verification and <br />have not had a name or address <br />change since the most recent voter <br />registration application was <br />submitted. <br />b) Ensuring that petitioners have access <br />to the petition, public information lists <br />used to verify registered voters, and <br />the examination log available for <br />inspection on request of any registered <br />voter. <br />c) Revising Minn. Rules 8205 to ensure <br />that formatting requirements are <br />clear and up to date. <br />SD-79. Presidential Nomination <br />Primary <br />Issue: In 2016, the legislature passed into <br />law a process for the state of Minnesota to <br />conduct a presidential nomination primary <br />in 2020 for president of the United States. <br />This will be administered by cities and <br />counties much the same way elections are <br />conducted. <br />Minn. Stat. § 207A.15 provides a process for <br />local units of government to be reimbursed <br />for expenses incurred from conducting the <br />primary. The Office of the Secretary of State <br />(OSS) will submit to the Department of <br />Management and Budget (MMB) an <br />estimated cost of administering the primary, <br />and MMB will provide funding to the OSS. <br />That funding will then be distributed to local <br />units of government as a reimbursement <br />based on expense reporting submitted to the <br />OSS. Because the presidential nomination <br />primary is a partisan activity administered <br />on behalf of political parties, it is critical <br />that local units of government be reimbursed <br />fully and that no cost be borne by cities. <br />The last time the state of Minnesota held a <br />presidential primary was in 1992 and turn- <br />out was very low. There is concern that this <br />