BREAKING NEWS: The state Court of Appeals just overturned a ruling that could have taken the vote from some Minnesotans. To make it crystal clear, today’s ruling means people on felony probation, parole or supervision can vote next week!
During routine sentencings recently, lower court Judge Matthew Quinn in Mille Lacs County decided to bar people on felony probation or parole from voting – an issue nobody had asked him to consider. The judge pulled it from thin air. His ruling flew in the face of a law the Legislature passed to restore the vote to 55,000 Minnesotans, and a state Supreme Court ruling acknowledging the Legislature’s power to do so.
The appeals court said the lower court exceeded its authority and prohibited Quinn’s orders from going into effect.
The ACLU of Minnesota – which filed a brief of support in the case – urges people on felony probation or parole to reclaim their power and to vote Nov. 7.
