WINONA, Minn. (WKBT) -- Minnesotans convicted of a felony no longer have to complete probation or parole to vote.
That opens the voting booth to 50,000 who didn’t have a say in their democracy.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed the bill Friday morning.
Democrats and advocates have been pushing for this legislation for years; Supporters say it’s about time.
“If you want to make change in your community and your state, you have to be politically involved," said Randy Anderson of Bold North Recovery.
For years, felons on probation or parole in Minnesota did not get to use that voice.
"I said my name and they turned the page and there’s this big red mark all the way across my name and it said I couldn’t vote. And I don’t know. It just felt embarrassing," said Nicki Hennessy, an ex-felon who lives in Winona and runs the Winona Recovery Center.
In Winona, Hennessy and Danny Lund weren't able to exercise that right for some time.
“I go work a full time job, I pay taxes which in turn does pay these people that we vote into office. So I don’t understand the logic behind someone currently on parole and probation why they shouldn’t be able to vote," Lund said.
That changed for Lund on Friday when his, and 50,000 other peoples', rights were restored.
That was a relief for advocate and ex-felon Anderson.
"I just took a big breath. I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is finally done," Anderson said. “Let’s just say we impact 25% of those people with that. To me, that’s huge. I mean, people that feel like they’re part of something again.”
Supporters say it is a win for everyone.
“I think that will probably help a lot of people that are coming out of prison and trying to change their life," Lund said.
At the Winona Recovery Center... Hennessy believes in second chances.
"They are just people. They are no different than we are—they're not different than anyone else. Anybody who’s not on felony probation. They made mistakes in their lives too. They just made mistakes, that shouldn’t put them out of the right to vote," Hennessy said.
A number of Republicans have opposed the bill.
In a statement to WCCO in Minneapolis, Minnesota Sen. Warren Limmer said "Probation is a time where criminals are to prove they can adjust to their freedom without reverting to former criminal activity. We expect to see them follow the law fully before we allow them to choose lawmakers and judges."
Minnesota is now one of over 20 states that allows people out of prison to vote.
Convicted felons cannot vote in Iowa or Wisconsin until their sentence is finished.
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Emily Haugen graduated from the University of St. Thomas in May 2021 with a degree in communication and journalism with minors in English and political science. She was raised in Fairmont, Minnesota, a small town located along I-90 with her three siblings and cat named Batman. She loves the Midwest and all its seasons, so she’s excited to experience them in La Crosse. During her time at St. Thomas, Emily worked at the student-run news organization TommieMedia, where she anchored, reported and eventually directed the organization. She also interned at the Under-Told Stories Project for PBS NewsHour where she learned about solutions-based journalism and created a podcast episode about the Rondo Land Bridge in St. Paul. Emily has always loved storytelling, creating everything from newspapers to plays as a kid. For fun, Emily loves to paint, play guitar and go for runs. She ran Grandma’s Marathon in 2019 and the Twin Cities Marathon this fall!
