There’s a lot going on. The destruction coming out of Washington continues, and the fallout remains significant. But things are starting to feel different. Institutions, organizations, and people across the country are finding ways to push back and make a real dent in the quest of the Administration and their allies to tear down our democracy. In this newsletter, we want to not only give you an update on important developments, but also give you concrete actions you can take to make that dent just a little bit bigger. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and that nothing we can do will make a difference against all that we’re facing. But if we each do our part, we can accomplish things that none of us can hope to do alone.
Minnesota Legislative Update
Legislators are back from their spring break, and are once again down a member as the resignation of Former State Senator Justin Eichorn (SD 6) triggered the need for yet another special election. This is the third vacancy to need filling in the first few months of this year. FairVote Minnesota has vetted the candidates in the race, and we are pleased to announce that Denise Slipy has earned our Democracy Champion Badge for her support of the RCV Local Option. The special election is tomorrow, April 29.
Legislators have come back from their break focused on budget negotiations and passing core omnibus bills. While we are disappointed that the RCV Local Option Bill was not included in the Elections Omnibus bill, we are pleased that the RCV ban bill introduced by some Republican lawmakers earlier this year has gone nowhere and failed to even get a hearing. We will remain vigilant to ensure it doesn’t advance next year in the second year of the biennium.
In the divided legislature, significant policy bills are rare, yet some progress is being made on smaller election bills aimed at curbing corruption, expanding campaign finance disclosure requirements, and making it simpler for small donors to make political contributions through the Political Contribution Refund program, which we want to be sure does not get defunded in the Governor’s budget. You can follow these efforts more closely through our ally Clean Elections MN
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Democracy Defense Update: What’s Happening and What You Can Do 1. The “SAVE” Act
The SAVE Act is a bill that would strip millions of Americans of their constitutional right to vote. It would require in-person documentary proof of citizenship every time someone updates their voter registration, a difficult or even impossible hurdle for women who have changed their names, trans voters, young voters without passports, newly naturalized citizens, rural voters, and more.
The good news is that the bill would need 60 votes to pass under current Senate rules. The bad news is that those rules could change with only a majority vote of the chamber—and there is no guarantee that all Democrats will hold the line after four members of their House caucus defected to vote in favor of the bill last month.
Action: Contact Your Senators
The bill remains in front of the US Senate, where we have to do everything we can to stop it. We need senators to use every tool at their disposal to fight this legislation and make sure it never becomes law. |
2. Presidential Executive Order
In addition to the Save Act, President Trump has issued an Executive Order that would place additional voter registration requirements and illegally impose several federal mandates on states in preparation for the 2026 election, causing confusion and harmful impacts on state-controlled election systems and further disenfranchising millions of voters.
The order has already been ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge, who wrote: “Our Constitution entrusts Congress and the States—not the President—with the authority to regulate federal elections.” Action: Learn More with Clean Elections Minnesota
FairVote Minnesota has joined Clean Elections Minnesota in co-sponsoring a webinar with Secretary Steve Simon and ACLU’s Deirdre Schifeling on the SAVE Act and the Executive Order. What does it mean for Minnesota and the nation? Join us on May 20 at 7pm to learn more. |
3. Federal Push to Ban RCV
RCV continues to be a top target nationwide for Republican-led efforts to remake our country’s electoral frameworks. Earlier this month, Governor Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota signed a bill banning the use of RCV in her state’s local elections. In Iowa, an omnibus bill with RCV ban provisions is waiting for the Governor’s signature.
Nationally, the President has publicly bashed RCV on his social media, calling it “very fraudulent." New York Republican Congressional members Lawler and Tenny have introduced a nationwide bill to ban RCV for all federal elections. After the President’s public tweet about RCV, the measure could quickly move higher up their legislative priority list. While no action has been taken yet on the bill, we’re remaining vigilant and ready to respond to new developments as they come up. Stay tuned for updates.
Action: Sign the Petition
We need to be pressuring our lawmakers at all levels to keep pushing our democracy forward with reforms like RCV, and to fight back against attempts to pull us backward. Sign the petition to tell them that we need to be fighting to expand our voting power, not shrinking it. |
4. May Day Rally
Another big rally day in protest of the administration's anti-democratic policies is being planned for Thursday, May 1! We encourage everyone who can to join the mobilization and fight back against the dismantling of our freedoms, rights, and democracy.
We’ll be circulating the petition once again and collecting signatures of support for RCV to strengthen our democracy! We gathered more than 1,000 signatures at the last rally and we aim to do the same again on Thursday. Register here and we’ll follow up with details about where to meet up. Action: Join Us to Gather Signatures! What: May Day Rally at the Minnesota State Capitol
Where: 75 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, Saint Paul (meet at the north end of the old Sears parking lot (425 Rice St, Saint Paul) When: Meet from 3:30pm to 4:00pm (let us know if you can’t be there until later), rally begins at 4:30pm
There will also be other events happening across the metro. If you attend one of these events and want to gather signatures there, let us know and we can get you materials! |
5. Local RCV News: Minneapolis Conventions
Convention season is upon Minneapolis! Things kicked off this past weekend in opposite ends of the city as Wards 1 and 13 DFLers gathered to nominate their chosen candidates. FairVote MN volunteers were there educating voters about RCV —and making sure everyone ranks their ballots in November! We’ll be at all the ward conventions through early June and at the mid-July city convention that will convene to endorse for Mayor, Park Board and Board of Estimate and Taxation. Want to be a part of the action? Join us on the convention trail!
Action: Be an RCV Volunteer
With a highly contentious mayoral race and several competitive council races on the ballot, caucus attendance rates reached highs not seen since the 2016 presidential primary. We’re working to meet the moment and engage with the many first-time caucusgoers who showed up this year and the many more voters who will cast their first ranked ballot this fall. We’ll be out in full force throughout the Minneapolis convention season and across Minnesota’s five RCV cities educating and engaging voters to ensure they understand the power of ranking their ballots. Help your neighbors get engaged with our democracy by becoming an RCV education volunteer!
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Around the Country: RCV News
There are RCV elections happening across the country! In California, former Congresswoman Barbara Lee was elected as the new Mayor of Oakland in an RCV runoff following two rounds of tabulation. By all measures, the election went smoothly with rapid results once all the ballots were in and voters reporting they they like and understand RCV.
Charlottesville is next up on the RCV calendar, as they go to vote with RCV for the first time on June 17 in the local council primaries. Voters will be choosing members of their city council with proportional RCV, a system that many believe will give more direct voice to more voters. Read more here.
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Thank you for doing your part
In times like these it’s easy to feel overwhelmed—like there’s no action we can take that will make a difference in the face of the daily chaos all around us. That might have been true if there were just a few of us, but there are thousands of us in Minnesota alone ready to work to make a difference. If each of us pitches in a little bit by volunteering, signing petitions, contacting our legislators, or more, we’ll have more power together. Thank you for all you are doing in defense of our democracy.
Let’s keep the momentum going! Team FairVote MN |
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