(C) Minnesota Reformer
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People in prison should be allowed to vote • Minnesota Reformer [1]
['Marshall H. Tanick', 'J. Patrick Coolican', 'Joe Harrington', 'Kathleen Oganovic', 'More From Author', 'August', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline']
Date: 2024-08-27
The Minnesota Supreme Court deserves commendation for its recent decision upholding the state law restoring voting rights to convicted felons at the end of their incarceration.
The unanimous decision in the case entitled Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Hunt validated an Anoka County District Court ruling earlier this year — and a parallel one by the Court of Appeals in a similar case last year — rebuffing a challenge to the law passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Tim Walz last year.
A growing movement in nearly two dozen blue and red states alike are reinstating voting rights under various post-conviction and punishment conditions, although the measures have faced some push back by courts in a few Republican-dominated states.
Chief Justice Natalie Hudson’s Minnesota ruling did not address the merits of the measure, instead dismissing the case on grounds of lack of standing by the right-wing advocacy group Minnesota Voters Alliance, whose mission in this case was to suppress voting rights, especially for Black Minnesotans and other people of color who are disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system. While not endorsing the substance of the re-enfranchisement law, the Court clearly implied that it was a proper exercise of legislative authority.
As a result of the measure and the court ruling validating it, some 55,000 ex-prisoners are able to vote, and a large number will likely exercise their new-found right this fall.
Not far enough
But what’s so baffling about the topic of felons casting ballots is why there would be a restriction at all.
Those convicted of serious offenses assuredly lose many rights, like mobility, living arrangements, even choice of apparel and other every-day activities.
But why should they be deprived of the opportunity to cast ballots for the people who make the laws that they and all others are subject to and they themselves have violated.
There’s no sound reason for the age-old restriction, and a few jurisdictions — Vermont, Maine and the District of Columbia — allow people to vote while they’re incarcerated.
Why not?
It’s easy to establish a precinct and set up balloting machines in a prison. Those incarcerated there have considerable time on their hands to show up at those polls; no excuse that they were too busy to vote. No need for absentee ballots, either.
Indeed, candidates for office might want to campaign in these facilities.
Some of them might even be occupants there.
Perhaps Minnesota will be in the vanguard leading even more states to maintain and extend voting rights for convicted offenders and those in penitentiaries.
Given the justice-impacted status of former President Donald Trump, surely this idea should have some appeal to Republicans.
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[1] Url:
https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/08/27/nevermind-voting-rights-for-formerly-incarcerated-people-in-prison-should-be-able-to-vote/
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