Restore the Vote Legislation Leads to Success in Minnesota

Thousands of newly eligible voters in Minnesota cast ballots in the 2024 election, following the 2023 law change that allowed formerly incarcerated people to vote. About 20 percent of people who were previously barred from voting went to the polls, a number that was higher than some advocates expected.

The Minnesota State Legislature passed the Restore the Vote Act (House File 28) and the law changed in the summer of 2023, allowing people convicted of felonies to vote after they have been released from incarceration. Nearly 6,000 newly eligible voters cast ballots in the 2024 election, according to Restore the Vote advocates, who said that’s a success they worked hard to accomplish.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison was an early advocate of the two-decade battle to change Minnesota law when he served in the state Legislature. He said the new law is off to a good start but there is more to do to spread awareness of the restoration of voting rights.  “If you're out, you can vote, but we still got to get people to actually vote. To think that we're at 20 percent now, and we're building, reaching out to more people, having more conversations, helping people understand that if they get involved, they can make a difference in their community is enormously gratifying to me.”

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said he was impressed by the numbers. “We knew we would have to build over time, part of it's just getting the word out. I mean, that is literally half the battle, just getting the word out,” Simon said. “But it did exceed my expectations by a lot.”

Restore the Vote advocates said they’re planning focus groups to try to learn why so many newly eligible voters chose not to go to the polls in 2024. They said they will work to increase the number of those newly eligible voters who cast ballots in future elections.

Restore the Vote MN is a growing grassroots coalition of individuals and organizations who believe voting is a human right.