Press Releases

MINNESOTA SENATE PASSES VITAL VOTING RIGHTS LEGISLATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
April 18, 2024

PRESS CONTACT:
Sarah Harris, [email protected]

Bill expands voting rights ahead of competitive 2024 presidential election in North Star state

SAINT PAUL — Today, the Minnesota Senate passed the Minnesota Voting Rights Act (MVRA) as part of an omnibus elections package. The MVRA would expand voting rights and access to the ballot ahead of a competitive 2024 presidential election. The bill will need to be conferenced in the House and Senate again before heading to the governor’s desk. 

This session, Stand Up America has supported the legislation alongside the We Choose Us coalition and NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Since 2023, Stand Up America’s Minnesota members have driven more than 1,800 constituent calls and emails to lawmakers and texted more than 200,000 voters to help pass voting rights measures in the state. Our Minnesota members will continue to call and email their lawmakers to ensure the MVRA becomes law.

Stand Up America’s Managing Director of Policy & Political Affairs, Brett Edkins, released the following statement after the passage:

“With this passage, the North Star state lives up to its name by being a leader in the voting rights movement. This bill will make a huge difference by prioritizing equity in voting and challenging discrimination across the state. With Congress deadlocked on voting rights, other states should follow Minnesota’s lead and advance similar voter protections ahead of November’s election.

“Although there is still more work ahead for this bill, our members in Minnesota are fired up and ready to ensure this legislation reaches Governor Walz’s desk.”

Provisions of the legislation include: 

  • Instructing state judges to interpret election laws in a pro-voter way whenever reasonably possible
  • Restoring citizens’ and civil rights groups’ ability to challenge discriminatory voting policies/practices in court
  • Requiring good-faith negotiations to give local jurisdictions the opportunity to fix voting discrimination efficiently
  • Protections against “vote dilution”

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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. Last year, Stand Up America partnered with the We Choose Us coalition to advocate for passage of the Democracy for the People Act.

Website: StandUpAmerica.com
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