August 3, 2020

By Patrick Rodenbush
rodenbush@redistrictingfoundation.org

National Redistricting Foundation Wins Agreement to Remove Burdensome Vote-by-Mail Restrictions in Minnesota

Lawsuit Challenged State’s Witness Requirement & Ballot Receipt Deadline

Washington, D.C. — Today, a state district court approved a consent decree between plaintiffs—supported by the National Redistricting Foundation (NRF)—and Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, remedying two significant vote-by-mail restrictions ahead of the November general election. The consent decree achieved two key changes to November’s general election: It provides that the state’s witness requirement will not be enforced for any mail ballots submitted by registered Minnesota voters; and requires that all mail-in ballots be counted so long as they are cast and postmarked on or before Election Day and received by 8 p.m. within five business days of Election Day. 

“This is a major victory for voters in Minnesota who will now face fewer unnecessary barriers to the ballot box as we deal with the current health crisis,” said Eric H. Holder, Jr., the 82nd Attorney General of the United States. “Elected officials in other states should follow the lead of Minnesota and be more responsive to the health and civic needs of their constituents. We will continue pushing more states to expand safe voting options so that no American is forced into a choice between casting a ballot or risking their health.”

In May, a group of voters supported by the NRF filed LaRose v. Simon in Minnesota challenging the state’s absentee voting restrictions that will unjustifiably burden the voting rights of Minnesota voters as the nation responds to the COVID-19 pandemic. Plaintiffs in the suit include four individual voter-plaintiffs, along with the Minnesota Alliance for Retired Americans Educational Fund. 

In June, the court approved a similar partial consent decree ahead of the state’s August primary. The consent decree achieved two crucial changes to the upcoming primary election: It provides that the state’s witness requirement will not be enforced for any mail-in ballots submitted by registered Minnesota voters; and it implements a postmark deadline that allows all mail-in ballots received by close of business two days after the election to be counted so long as they are postmarked by Election Day.

The National Redistricting Foundation is the 501(c)(3) affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, and was formed in 2017 to engage in work that protects voting rights and challenges gerrymandered congressional and state legislative districts. The National Redistricting Foundation has funded and executed lawsuits that include, but are not limited to, overturning gerrymandered congressional and state legislative maps in North Carolina, successfully challenging the Trump Administration’s attempt to add a citizenship question to the census, and protecting Wisconsin voters from former Governor Scott Walker’s refusal to call special elections and attacks on early voting.

You can download a filed copy of the complaint here.

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