Stand Up America Applauds Minnesota House of Representatives for Passing Critical Voting Rights Restoration Legislation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
FEBRUARY 2, 2023
PRESS CONTACT:
Sarah Harris, press@standupamerica.com
ST. PAUL — Today, Minnesota House lawmakers voted to advance HF 28, legislation to restore voting rights to over 55,000 Minnesotans on probation and parole. This vote comes on the heels of the launch of We Choose Us Minnesota’s pro-democracy agenda at a rally in the state capitol last month. Hundreds of Minnesotans gathered in support of the agenda, which includes voting rights restoration, modernizing Minnesota’s campaign finance system, and implementing automatic voter registration.
“Minnesota prides itself on largely being a progressive state, but for far too long, Minnesota’s laws have left returning citizens out of the voting process, rather than truly integrating them into our communities. Voting rights restoration not only restores a fundamental right back to Minnesota citizens, it has been proven to promote public safety and reduce recidivism.
“Minnesota lawmakers have demonstrated their leadership and initiative on democracy issues by bringing this commonsense legislation swiftly to the floor early in the legislative session. Stand Up America congratulates voting rights restoration advocates for this victory and looks forward to supporting this bill in the Senate and hopefully celebrating its arrival at Governor Tim Walz’s desk.”
Since the start of session, Stand Up America’s over 8,000 members in Minnesota have sent hundreds of emails to lawmakers encouraging them to pass the critical democracy measures included in the Democracy for the People Act this session, including rights restoration. Our members will keep up the pressure this session by emailing and calling their lawmakers. Stand Up America will also be launching digital advertisements to educate Minnesotans on the legislation.
In every election since 2004, over 5 million Americans have been disenfranchised by state laws that prevent people with felony convictions from voting. Even more people are disenfranchised because of confusion around eligibility laws which vary by state and often are misinterpreted even by government officials. At the same time, voter intimidation is growing in America. Recent polling from Stand Up America and their partners shows that the majority of voters (56%) believe voting should be a guaranteed right for all.
To speak with a Stand Up America representative about their work in Minnesota, please don’t hesitate to reach out to press@standupamerica.com.
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About Stand Up America
Stand Up America is a progressive advocacy organization with nearly two million community members across the country. Focused on grassroots advocacy to stand up to corruption and voter suppression and build a more representative democracy, Stand Up America has driven over 1.7 million calls to lawmakers, registered over 100,000 voters, mobilized thousands of protestors, and contacted tens of millions of voters.
Website: StandUpAmerica.com
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