Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has signed a new law on Friday that enacts a major expansion of voting access policies and campaign finance reforms intended to strengthen democracy in Minnesota. Democrats passed the legislation along party lines after unexpectedly winning back the state Senate last year, a victory that gave them control over state government for the first time in nearly a decade.
The legislation, titled the "Democracy for the People Act," contains a number of provisions to improve state elections, including measures to:
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Establish automatic voter registration at several state agencies such as those covering driver’s licenses, the state’s low-income health care program, and more.
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Allow 16- and 17-year-olds to preregister to vote so that they'll automatically be added to the rolls once they turn 18.
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Allow voters to opt into permanently receiving a mail ballot in every future election.
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Expand multilingual ballots and election materials.
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Create a public campaign finance system by giving voters two $25 "Democracy Dollar" vouchers that they can donate to candidates or parties of their choice.
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Require "dark money" independent campaign groups to disclose the identities of their donors and prohibit "foreign-influenced corporations" from spending money on elections.
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Impose stronger penalties on voter intimidation.
The new law is one of multiple measures that Democrats have advanced using their newfound powers, overcoming lockstep opposition from Republicans. In March, Democrats enacted another law that ended felony disenfranchisement for those on parole and probation and, in doing so, restored the voting rights of nearly 50,000 people. Democrats are also on the verge of passing a government funding bill that contains several voting and election reforms, such as an expansion of early voting and a provision to join a multi-state agreement to elect the president by national popular vote.
For many years, Minnesota had often enjoyed the highest voter turnout rate nationwide, thanks in large part to policies such as same-day voter registration. Other states have made gains recently, notably where Democrats have adopted innovations such as automatic voter registration intended to make it even easier to vote. Preliminary data indicates that Minnesota saw the third-highest turnout in 2022 at 60% of eligible voters, just behind Maine and Oregon. Adopting these new reforms could help boost participation even higher in the coming years.
2023 may be an off-year, but that just means Virginia takes its traditional place as one of the key states to watch. With odd-year state elections, Virginia has often been a key bellwether for the rest of the country and this year is no different. Both the State Senate and the General Assembly are up and both chambers could be won by either party. Daily Kos Elections Editor Jeff Singer joins us to preview the key races in both the June primary and the fall general election.
