Minnesota Democrats get 'Hamilton'-style boost for election law changes

Josh Tower couldn't help himself as he sat down at the more than 100-year-old wooden table that sits inside the Minnesota Secretary of State's Office.

"So, this is the room where it happens?" asked Tower, referencing the hit song in the Broadway musical "Hamilton," in which he's playing the pivotal role of Aaron Burr in a national tour.

Tower and other members of the cast, currently performing in the Twin Cities, visited the State Capitol in St. Paul on Wednesday to snap pictures of the marble building and talk with Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon about a set of election law changes the DFL-led government is advancing this session.

Gov. Tim Walz already signed a bill into law that will restore voting rights to Minnesotans as soon as they leave prison. Other proposals still moving through the process would expand access to the ballot while trying to clamp down on the spread of disinformation and protect election workers.

"I happen to think that, though I'm a long-term optimist about our democracy in this country and in this state, we do have some challenges and we do have some problems," said Simon, a DFLer. "I would argue in many ways we haven't seen problems like this, perhaps, since the early days of the republic, the very time the 'Hamilton' production portrays."

The musical follows founding father Alexander Hamilton from his early life as a poor orphan to his ascendency in American politics and eventual death in an infamous duel with Burr. The messy origins of democracy in the U.S. are an underlying theme.

"So many people from different socioeconomic levels, we're all kind of on the same playing field — if only for a moment — to vote for who we want, for the way we want things to go, whatever we may be individually," Tower said.

One of Democrats' major voter access proposals this session, which passed the House last week but is awaiting a vote in the Senate, would require an eligible applicant for a new or renewed driver's license or identification card to be automatically registered to vote, unless they opt out. It also allows 16- and 17-year-olds to fill out a form to pre-register to vote, and it would make it easier for those who like voting by mail to get a ballot automatically sent to their home before each election.

Democrats also want to require disclosure of all ads and mailings that could only be interpreted as intending to influence voters, while also barring certain political activity by foreign-influenced corporations.

Republicans in the minority have pushed back on Democrats' election bills, arguing those provisions in particular could flirt with constitutional challenges after the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling opened the door to outside money in elections. They said the bill also specifically targets corporations with foreign influences but leaves out unions and other groups that tend to be aligned with Democrats.

"This is a very concerning effort by the government to sort of take over the marketplace of ideas and do it in a way that seems to be designed to benefit their allies and punish their enemies," said Rep. Harry Niska, R-Ramsey.

Many of the proposals up for debate have circulated at the Capitol for years, but they went nowhere under divided government. Simon said he anticipates most of the election proposals will pass this session, and he hopes it will mean more people get out to vote in the next presidential election.

"In 'Hamilton' terms, don't throw away your shot," Simon said.