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RELEVANT LINKS: <br />League of Minnesota Cities Information Memo: 5/15/2024 <br />City Special Elections Page 10 <br />Minn. R. 8205.1010. <br /> Each petition page must have no more than 10 signature lines. The <br />signature lines must be consecutively numbered. Each signature line must <br />have space for the date of signature; a signature; the signatory’s year of <br />birth; printed first, middle, and last name; and residence address, <br />municipality, and county. <br />Minn. R. 8205.1010. Each petition page must have a signer’s oath in no smaller than 12-point <br />bold type. The signer’s oath and the signature lines must be on the same <br />side of the paper. If the form of the signer’s oath is not specified by statute, <br />the following oath must be used: “I swear (or affirm) that I know the <br />contents and purpose of this petition and that I signed this petition only <br />once and of my own free will.” <br />Minn. R. 8205.1010. Each petition page must include the following statement immediately <br />above the signature lines: “All information must be filled in by person(s) <br />signing the petition unless disability prevents the person(s) from doing <br />so.” <br /> 1. Filing a petition <br />Minn. R. 8205.1040. <br />Minn. Stat. § 211A.01, subd. <br />7. <br /> <br />A.G. Op. 185-b (June 15, <br />2007). <br />The city clerk accepts petitions as the filing officer. State law defines the <br />“filing officer” as the officer authorized by law to accept affidavits of <br />candidacy or nominating petitions for an office, or the officer authorized <br />by law to place a ballot question on the ballot. <br />Minn. R. 8205.1040. <br /> The person filing the petition must submit the entire petition at one time to <br />the clerk. The petitioners may submit the petition by mail, messenger, or <br />similar delivery service. Filing of a petition is effective upon receipt by the <br />clerk. Petition pages must not be altered by anyone except the clerk for <br />verification purposes after the petition has been filed. <br />Minn. R. 8205.1040. <br /> The clerk must provide the person filing the petition with a receipt for the <br />petition. The receipt must include the type of petition filed; the name, <br />address, and telephone number of the person submitting the petition; the <br />date on which the petition was filed; and the total number of pages in the <br />petition submitted. <br /> 2. Number of signatures required on petition <br /> <br /> <br />Minn. Stat. § 205.10. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Minn. Stat. § 645.26, subd. 1. <br />As used here, a “sufficient petition” means a petition with the required <br />number of voter signatures. Typically, this is a percentage of voters from a <br />previous election. Sometimes the specific statute authorizing a petition <br />does not indicate what percentage of voter signatures a sufficient petition <br />needs. The default in state law requires that the petition contain the <br />signatures of a number of voters equal to 20 percent of the total number of <br />people who voted at the last city general election. <br />18