Common Cause Minnesota joined the League of Women Voters of Minnesota, the Minnesota Second Chance Coalition, and the Voting Rights Lab to file an amicus brief in support of restoring voting rights to people with prior felony convictions in Schroeder v. Minnesota Secretary of State. The brief asks the Minnesota Court of Appeals to rule Minnesota’s laws that disenfranchise thousands of Minnesotans with felony convictions unconstitutional. The brief also lays out the racial disparity of those impacted by Minnesota’s felony disenfranchisement laws, as Black Minnesotans are disenfranchised by these laws at more than 4 times the rate as Minnesota’s population.

“Minnesota’s felony disenfranchisement laws are racist and undemocratic, and it’s past time for them to be ruled unconstitutional,” said Annastacia Belladonna-Carrera, executive director of Common Cause Minnesota. “Minnesota is intentionally blocking thousands of potential voters from making their voice heard. It’s imperative that the court rules these disenfranchisement laws unconstitutional so all Minnesotans can have a say in the future of the families, communities, and country at the ballot box.”

To view the brief, click here.