The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for January 13, 2023
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
Minnesota Reformer – Steve Simon wants automatic voter registration, right to vote for people on parole/probation
Minnesota House of Representatives – DFLers Introduce the Democracy for the People Act
Democracy Docket – Minnesota Lawmakers Introduce Omnibus Democracy for the People Act
Minnesota House or Representatives – House Filing 3 Language for the Democracy for the People Act
Groups Taking Action:
Restore the Vote MN, League of Women Voters MN, ACLU MN, Clean Elections MN, MN Youth Collective
Today’s Script: (Variations occur with audio due to editing for time)
Minnesota Considers Sweeping Pro-Voter Democracy Reform Package
You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.
We’re contrasting yesterday’s report on Ohio’s new restrictions on voter ID, drop boxes and early voting, with news of a sweeping PRO-voter bill introduced January 4th in Minnesota, increasing access to the polls and facilitating civic engagement.
The Minnesota Reformer and Democracy Docket report the HF3 “Democracy for the People Act” would allow 16 & 17-year-olds to preregister to vote, and would restore voting rights to felons on, or having completed, parole.
The bill would also allow eligible voters to be added to a permanent mail-in-voting list, and to register to vote at the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Human Services, and other state agencies. The change would assist as many as 450,000 Minnesotans to register or update their registration each year.
After threats to Minnesota election workers after the 2020 election, the act would establish civil and criminal penalties for such harassment, and does the same for voter intimidation and deception.
In a move against special interest influence, the bill creates a program for small donor funding of elections. Two $25 vouchers are given to each voter, who may donate them to the political party or candidate committee of their choice.
With a legislature and governor friendly to pro-voter reform after the 2022 midterms, the package is likely to pass.
We have links to the bill’s language, articles and groups taking action at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.