FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: ​May 9, 2020

PRESS CONTACTS:
Kevin Whelan, ​kevin@minnesotavoice.org​; (612)414-9731
Wintana Melekin, ​wintana@minnesotavoice.org​, (651)808-5589

Minnesota Voice Statement: Bi-partisan Election Bill Passes Legislature

St.Paul— ​On Saturday, the Minnesota House overwhelmingly passed the Senate’s
lightly-amended version of bipartisan legislation to release the state’s Help America Vote Act
(HAVA) funding and allow for flexibility in polling sites locations in the face of the COVID crisis.

Wintana Melekin, Executive Director or Minnesota Voice, a statewide coalition of non-profit

organizations working to increase voter participation in underrepresented communities said:

“We are excited that legislators worked together to make our elections safer. Lawmakers need
to do more to make sure no one has to choose between their health and their right to vote ​by
making sure all eligible voters are sent a ballot in the mail ahead of the upcoming
elections​. ​To build a more equitable and inclusive state, we all need to be safe to make our
voices heard, now more than ever.”

Minnesota law already allows hundreds of municipalities to hold elections by mail. This year, in
the face of an unprecedented pandemic voting rights advocates, election judges and community
leaders have argued that it makes ​sense to send every registered voter an absentee ballot that
they can cast from the safety of their home.

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