Democrats and Republicans in the Minnesota House are embroiled in a standoff over who controls the lower chamber just months out from the election, which is already derailing the start of their legislative session.

The results of the November election initially brought both parties to a tie of 67-67, with leaders readying for a power-sharing agreement. But after a judge ruled that one Democratic candidate hadn’t properly met residency criteria, bringing Republicans to a 67-66 advantage, and missing ballots found in another tight election won by a Democrat threw that race temporarily into flux, the GOP sought to claim the majority and install a Speaker despite Democrats’ opposition.

Democrats are so far boycotting the session unless the GOP negotiates control over the chamber, but Republicans have rejected their conditions — putting the parties at a crossroads.

“The drama going on in Minnesota's House is a kind of a familiar story about partisanship,” said Larry Jacobs, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for the Study of Politics and Governance.

Months after the November election, voters still have little clue who’s running the Minnesota House. Both parties were initially expecting some sort of power-sharing agreement when the election results delivered an even split in the lower chamber.

But things quickly fell apart. For one, a judge in December found that Democratic candidate Curtis Johnson hadn’t met residency requirements for his House bid, giving GOP the........

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