Minnesota Voting Rights Act ensures a fair vote for all
On May 17, Gov. Tim Walz signed the Minnesota Voting Rights Act (MNVRA) into law, providing important protections for the state’s voters. Minnesota joins several states that have passed state voting rights acts in recent years, and is the first Midwestern state to do so.
This major expansion of voting rights protections was led by state organizations like We Choose Us and the ACLU of Minnesota, as well as national organizations like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Campaign Legal Center.
Provisions of the Minnesota Voting Rights Act
The MNVRA comes at a crucial time, since federal voting rights protections have been weakened by the judiciary in recent years. For instance, last year the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that individuals do not have a right to sue under the federal Voting Rights Act – leaving voters whose rights were violated with no recourse unless the federal government filed suit. The MNVRA restores the right of voters to challenge discriminatory rules under state law – making Minnesota the first state under the 8th Circuit’s jurisdiction to do so.
In addition, the Minnesota Voting Rights Act will:
- prohibit voter suppression policies directed at racial and language minority groups in Minnesota’s cities and counties
- allow voters in minority groups to challenge unfair electoral systems that dilute their vote, such as at-large block plurality elections
- improve the redistricting process by banning prison gerrymandering
Proportional ranked choice voting expands representation
Like other state voting rights acts, the MNVRA includes proportional ranked choice voting (RCV) as a remedy for election systems that dilute minority representation, such as gerrymandered districts or at-large block plurality elections. Proportional RCV ensures that minority groups can be represented in legislative bodies (like city councils) in line with their share of the population.
For instance, in a proportional RCV contest electing five seats, a community only needs to make up 17% of voters to pick a winner of its choice. In sum, nearly every voter (at least 85%) is able to elect someone they support. By contrast, in at-large, winner-take-all elections, the largest group of voters can pick every winner – leaving substantial minority groups unrepresented.
Proportional RCV is recognized as a voting rights remedy in state VRAs in California, Connecticut, New York, and Washington. It has been used as a remedy in local elections under both the federal VRA and California VRA. FairVote’s north-star legislation, Fair Representation Act, would bring proportional RCV to U.S. House elections.The Minnesota Voting Rights Act will help protect the voting rights of all Minnesotans. To support further election reform in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, check out FairVote Minnesota today!
Image by Myotus under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
