The Minnesota Participation Project actively supports election laws that make voting fair and accessible for all citizens. During the 2010 legislative session we will continue to advocate for a number of changes to the election law system.

Early primary bill would move primary date to comply with federal law

Due to the recent Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act, which is intended to help with the registration and participation of U.S. Military and overseas voters, Minnesota will need to move the date of its primary.  Currently, Minnesota's primary is mandated to be on the first Tuesday after the second Monday in September.  This only allows 31 days for overseas absentee voting before the general election, while the MOVE Act requires at least 45 days. 

HF2552 /SF2551 have each passed out of committee with the Senate moving it towards final passage with a voice vote.  This would move the Minnesota primary up to August 10 from September 14 and bring the Minnesota primary in compliance with federal law.

What does Citizens United ruling mean for nonprofits?

The Alliance for Justice has produced some clear and timely analysis for nonprofits to understand the impact of the Citizens United ruling on the nonprofit sector. This chart provides a broad overview of what each type of tax-exempt entity may now do.  Note that "because federal tax law continues to prohibit partisan activities by 501(c)(3)s, this case does not impact the electoral activities of 501(c)(3)s."  For more analysis on this case and its implications for a range of nonprofit entities, visit Alliance for Justice's report, "What does Citizens United mean to nonprofits?"

Recap of 2009 Legislative Session

During the 2009 legislative session, we advocated for a number of changes to the election law system, including those listed below.

Some election reform bills heard in the 2009 legislative session:

None of these measures were signed into law during the 2009 legislative session.  The Governor vetoed the elections omnibus bill, an improved registration bill, as well as improvements in the civil rights restoration notification process.