Minnesota Should Restore Voting Rights to Over 55,000 Citizens
Minnesota denies the vote to more of its people with a felony conviction than most other states in the Upper Midwest.
Related to: Voting Rights, Racial Justice, State Advocacy
Over 55,000 Minnesotans are currently locked out of our democracy, representing 1.3% of the state’s voting eligible population. Minnesota denies the vote to more of its people with a felony conviction than three other states in the Upper Midwest. People of color are disproportionately impacted, with Black Minnesotans disenfranchised at over four times the state rate. Latinx Minnesotans are disenfranchised at nearly twice the state rate. Historically, “Jim Crow” felony disenfranchisement laws—like Minnesota’s—were used to dilute the power and voice of the Black community.
