205A.11 PRECINCTS; POLLING PLACES.

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Subdivision 1.Established precincts.

School district elections must be conducted in the precincts, or when the school district boundary divides a precinct, parts of precincts that have been established by the county or municipal governing bodies as provided in section 204B.14. If an election other than the school district election is being held in any part of a precinct, all the voters of the precinct must vote at the polling place designated for the precinct as provided in section 204B.14. §

Subd. 2.Combined polling place.

(a) When no other election is being held in a school district, the school board may designate combined polling places at which the voters in those precincts may vote in the school district election.

(b) By December 31 of each year, the school board must designate, by resolution, any changes to combined polling places. The combined polling places designated in the resolution are the polling places, unless a change is made in accordance with this paragraph or:

(1) pursuant to section 204B.175; or

(2) because a polling place has become unavailable.

(c) If the school board designates combined polling places pursuant to this subdivision, polling places must be designated throughout the district, taking into account both geographical distribution and population distribution. A combined polling place must be at a location designated for use as a polling place by a county or municipality, except as provided in this paragraph. If the municipality conducts elections by mail balloting pursuant to section 204B.45, the school board may designate a polling place not used by the municipality if the polling place satisfies the requirements in section 204B.16, subdivisions 4 to 7.

(d) In school districts that have organized into separate board member election districts under section 205A.12, a combined polling place for a school general election must be arranged so that it does not include more than one board member election district. §

Subd. 2a.Notice of special elections.

The school district clerk shall prepare a notice to the voters who will be voting in a combined polling place for a school district special election. The notice must include the following information: the date of the election, the hours of voting, and the location of the voter’s polling place. The notice must be sent by nonforwardable mail to every affected household in the school district with at least one registered voter. The notice must be mailed no later than 14 days before the election. The mailed notice is not required for a school district special election that is held on the second Tuesday in August, the Tuesday following the first Monday in November, or for a special election conducted entirely by mail. A notice that is returned as undeliverable must be forwarded immediately to the county auditor. §

Subd. 3.Procedure.

The designation of a polling place pursuant to this section remains effective until a different polling place is designated. No designation of a new or different polling place becomes effective less than 90 days prior to an election, except that a new polling place may be designated to replace a polling place that has become unavailable for use. The school board must notify the county auditor within 30 days after the establishment of a polling place as provided in this section. The notice must include a list of the precincts that will be voting at each polling place. The school board must send the notice required by section 204B.16, subdivision 1a, after a polling place is established as provided in this section, but no additional notices of this kind are required for any subsequent similar elections until the location of the polling place or the combination of precincts voting at the polling place is changed. The secretary of state shall provide a single polling place roster for use in any polling place established as provided in this section. A single set of election judges must be appointed to serve in the polling place. The number of election judges required must be based on the total number of persons voting at the last similar election in all the precincts to be voting at the single polling place. A single ballot box may be provided for all the ballots.

History:

1987 c 266 art 1 s 58; 1990 c 453 s 17; 1994 c 607 s 6; 1995 c 8 s 7,8; 2008 c 244 art 2 s 19; 2010 c 184 s 38; 2010 c 201 s 75; 2016 c 161 art 1 s 18; 2017 c 92 art 2 s 14; 2024 c 112 art 2 s 44; 2025 c 39 art 8 s 80

History: History: 1987 c 266 art 1 s 58; 1990 c 453 s 17; 1994 c 607 s 6; 1995 c 8 s 7,8; 2008 c 244 art 2 s 19; 2010 c 184 s 38; 2010 c 201 s 75; 2016 c 161 art 1 s 18; 2017 c 92 art 2 s 14; 2024 c 112 art 2 s 44; 2025 c 39 art 8 s 80