Minnesota Statutes 373.50 – Postponement of Election; Inclement Weather
Subdivision 1.Applicability.
This section applies to a primary, special, or general election held in a county that is not held in conjunction with a state or federal election.
Subd. 2.Postponement of election.
Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 373.50
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- state: extends to and includes the District of Columbia and the several territories. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 373.50
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- state: extends to and includes the District of Columbia and the several territories. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
(a) In the event of severe or inclement weather, the county auditor may postpone an election when the National Weather Service or a law enforcement agency has issued storm warnings or travel advisories indicating that the weather conditions would make travel to a polling place difficult or hazardous for voters and election judges. When one or more jurisdictions are holding elections in conjunction with one another, the jurisdiction that covers the largest geographic area has the authority, after consulting with the other auditors and clerks, to make the decision to postpone all of the elections. A decision to postpone an election must apply to every precinct in the jurisdiction.
(b) A decision to postpone an election must be made no later than 6:00 p.m. on the day before the election. The auditor must contact the election judges and notify local media outlets of the postponement. The auditor must also post a notice on the jurisdiction’s website, if practicable.
(c) A postponed election must be rescheduled for the next following Tuesday after the election was originally scheduled. The date on which the postponed election will be held shall be considered the date of the election for purposes of absentee voting under chapter 203B. An election that is postponed due to weather may be postponed again if necessary under this section.