MINNEAPOLIS — State and federal corrections officials have partnered with the League of Women Voters of Minnesota to help get the word to former inmates that they can now vote, even if they're still on probation.
That's thanks to a new law passed by the 2023 legislature that went into effect June 1. The League, as part of the Restore the Vote Coalition, is engaged in both online and in-person campaigns to help former offenders register to vote.
As part of that effort, the group set up registration booths Friday in the lobbies of several federal courthouses across Minnesota. One of those who dropped by to register was Milton Rucker, who said he heard about it from the federal probation office.
"They gave me a call a couple weeks ago letting me know they passed a law and said to come down and register to vote at your nearest United States District Court," Rucker told KARE 11.
"It felt wonderful. Now I'm part of society. I can vote. I can show other people that you now have a voice."
League President Michelle Witte said it's too early to tell how many people on parole have signed up to vote, and that the registration form is the same for all voters.
"We’re excited about the momentum and getting that word out we know is really, really important."
Kito J. Bess, the Chief U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Officer in Minnesota said that the new law has been built into the process of releasing people from federal custody.
"We have now revised our orientation packets so the probation officers, when they come in, go over everything they need to go over in that orientation process, one of which includes information about voter registration," Bess told reporters who came to see the registration booth.
He said the community registration drives are important because people being released from prison have a lot on their minds, and may overlook the voting rights information included in their orientation packets.
"Today we’re doing nothing more than educating while simultaneously connecting persons under supervision with the local community resource, i.e., the League of Women Voters."
Minnesota Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell said promoting voter registration is a matter of improving public safety and reducing recidivism.
"We know the people who are more connected with communities and are engaged in their communities are at less risk of coming back into the system," Schnell remarked.
Election law violations are extremely rare in Minnesota, but in the past, there were persons who registered to vote while they were still on probation which was previously a crime even if they didn't follow through and vote.
Secretary of State Steve Simon said the Restore the Vote Act will remove any confusion about when a person can vote.
"There was a lot of confusion both ways," Simon explained.
"Both people who thought they couldn't vote even though they could, and people who thought, genuinely, they could vote because maybe that was the rule in North Dakota right next to our state."
He encouraged those on parole and probation to register in person or do it online at MNVOTES.org.
"This law didn't add layers to the process. It removed layers," he explained.
"So, the only three things you have to attest to now are that you’re a citizen, you’re 18 or older, and that you’re a resident of the state."
The new law already faces a legal challenge from the Minnesota Voters Alliance, a conservative group that calls itself an election fraud watchdog. The lawsuit contends the new law was passed in violation of the state constitution, which bars felony offenders from voting "unless restored to civil rights."
The group asserts felons aren't truly restored to civil rights until they finish serving the community part of their sentences.
Simon said he couldn't comment on the merits of a case under litigation but is generally confident the new law will be upheld.