Real progress made on election reform

Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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One of the most far-reaching reforms to come out of an already packed legislative session is an expansive elections bill that will make some long-needed reforms a reality in Minnesota.

The Democracy for the People Act, signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz this month, will implement various reforms long sought by voting rights advocates. Included are automatic voter registration; preregistration for 16- and 17-year-olds to establish eligibility to vote at 18, and a permanent absentee ballot list allowing voters to get ballots mailed to them at every election.

This will make Minnesota one of 23 states with automatic voter registration and could boost rolls considerably. According to Secretary of State Steve Simon, more than 400,000 Minnesotans are eligible to vote but unregistered.

When signing the bill, Walz noted, "The ballot is the most important thing we have. Your voice is in your ballot. And if you don't have access to that, or it's made more difficult, your voice is stifled."

Minnesotans have long prided themselves on doing their civic duty, regularly notching some of the highest voter turnouts in the country. When few other states were doing so, Minnesotans adopted reforms that allowed for such innovations as same-day registration. They soundly rejected restrictions such as photo identification, often with specific ID requirements that can be used to make voting unnecessarily difficult.

The reforms passed in this legislative session stand in stark and welcome contrast to the attempts at voter suppression and outright obstruction going on in other states. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, lawmakers nationwide introduced a record-breaking number of bills to restrict voting.

At least 150 bills were filed in 32 states that would make it more difficult for eligible voters to register, stay on voter rolls or cast ballots. This all comes amid a tidal wave of ongoing and deliberate disinformation from election deniers about the legitimacy of the 2020 election and election results in general.

Simon told an editorial writer that the reforms, many of which he has worked on for years, constitute "a once-in-a-generation step forward. These are solid, sensible ways to make Minnesota's elections more accessible and more secure."

One of the GOP's biggest criticisms of same-day registration, Simon said, has been that it leaves no time for vetting a voter. Automatic registration, he predicted, would drive down the need for same-day registration by as much as 80% to 90% because most Minnesotans would already be in the system when they apply for a driver's license.

"It will make our voting rolls even cleaner and more secure than they are now," he said.

So will preregistration of 16- and 17-year-olds, Simon said. "The vetting gets done in advance, and if everything checks out, as soon as they turn 18, they are registered to vote." Simon said studies in other states have shown that those with preregistration see higher turnout among younger voters. "This really moves the needle," he said. "It makes young people more likely to vote because they start thinking about elections and when they can take part."

Creating a permanent absentee ballot list will allow voters who sign up to automatically receive an absentee/mail ballot before each election. Simon said Minnesota is among the few states to require two pieces of identification for mail-in ballots, "which makes our system more secure than states where only one piece of identification is required."

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Arizona, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, Virginia and the District of Columbia all use permanent absentee ballot lists.

"Some of these reforms have been adopted all over the country," Simon said. "By red and blue states alike."

A reform adopted earlier this session will allow felons who have completed their prison sentences to once again participate in elections. That move, Simon said, could restore voting rights to more than 55,000 Minnesotans.

The Democracy for the People Act signed this month also adds needed — and long-sought — protections for voters and poll workers alike, making it a crime to interfere with someone attempting to register or cast a ballot.

Simon said harassment and intimidation of election judges, election administrators and other volunteers who make the system work have become more common.

"One head of elections in a county was physically accosted by someone with an election grievance, and police were called," he said. "Another was followed to their car after hours by someone enraged about election results. We've had election workers called repeatedly on home phones. We don't want to interfere with free speech, but it can't be to the point of harassing people running elections or actually interfering with the process."

Minnesota should be proud of the Legislature's efforts to extend this precious right to more people and be assured that this state will also maintain election integrity.