The bill repeals 50-year-old statute that dictates RPS district elections use a convoluted method of candidate distribution
ST. PAUL, Minn. — On Tuesday, Senator Liz Boldon (DFL-Rochester) presented Senate File 4552 to the Senate Elections Committee, which deals with the Rochester Public School District’s elections.
The bill would repeal a 1974 law that applies to the Rochester Public School District, which requires that school board candidates run for specific positions on the board that are not tied to geography. If passed into law, it would transition the district from this archaic “alley system” to the standard at-large system used by nearly all other school districts in Minnesota.
Recently, after community engagement, the Rochester School Board unanimously passed a resolution in support of this change, arguing the current “alley system” is outdated and confusing to voters. This change would align the district’s elections with that of nearly 95% of other districts in Minnesota.
The bill was heard in the Senate Elections Committee on Tuesday. Today, it was included in the Elections committee’s omnibus bill. From there, the bill was passed to the Senate Floor, where it will await consideration by the Senate as a whole.
“I’m appreciative of the work that RPS and their school board have done to inform voters of these changes,” said Senator Boldon. “Voter understanding of our election process is essential to our democracy. Sometimes there are old laws on the books that just don’t make sense, and I believe providing voters with clearer directions and election processes will help keep voters engaged. I look forward to this change becoming law.”
You can watch testimony on the bill’s Tuesday hearing at this link: https://www.youtube.com/live/zPKidVvs57w?si=MKUybDyQxkio94nS&t=731
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