On August 4, the Minnesota House amended SF 2296 to include a provision moving the primary from August to June. Because Minnesota law already says that independent presidential petitions are due on primary day, the bill would have the effect of moving the petition deadline from August to June.

However, on August 5, the Senate refused to agree to the House amendment. The vote in the House, inserting the amendment on the primary date change, was 66-65.

Petition deadlines for independent presidential candidates have been held unconstitutional, or enjoined, if they are as early as June, in these states: Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, Nevada, Rhode Island, and South Dakota. This information has been sent to an election law analyst in the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office.