Minnesota House Approves Measure to Uphold Voting Rights Act

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota House approved Rep. Samantha Vang’s provision in the State Government budget bill, which would lift a ban on assisting voters at polling places. Under current state law, no one can help more than three people fill out their ballots. The restriction has a disproportionate impact on communities with disabilities and English proficiency challenges.

“Language barriers don’t stop at the ballot box. If we are going to have a truly representative democracy, we need to make sure all eligible voters can cast their ballots,” said Rep. Samantha Vang (DFL- Brooklyn Center). “Under current law, I can’t bring my own parents and grandparents to vote.”

Current state law may be in violation of the Voting Rights Act, which was established to ensure historically marginalized communities don’t have legal barriers at the local level to vote. This provision will ensure that a disability or language barrier doesn’t prevent eligible voters from being counted.

Aside from Minnesota, only Arkansas and Georgia limit the number of voters each person can help.