Minnesota Senate Passes Bills Granting Felons Voting Rights, Driver’s Licenses for Illegal Immigrants

A view outside the Minnesota State Capitol building, in Minneapolis, Minn., on June 20, 2020. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Two bills that would grant felons voting rights and illegal immigrants the ability to obtain driver’s licenses were passed by the Minnesota Senate on Feb. 22.

Passed in a 35-30 vote, the “Restore the Vote” bill (pdf) would restore the voting rights of convicted felons immediately after they are released from jail.

The bill’s passage comes less than a week after the Minnesota Supreme Court upheld a current law that prohibits felons from voting while on parole, but noted that the legislature retained the power to decide the issue.

In promoting the bill, Senate President Bobby Joe Champion, a Democrat, said: “We know that in the state of Minnesota right now we have more than 55,000 of our friends, our neighbors, and family members who are not allowed to vote. They should have the right to vote.”

Currently, 21 other states restore the voting rights of felons once they leave prison, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, including Republican-led North Dakota, Indiana, and Utah. In Maine, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., convicted felons are allowed to vote while they are still incarcerated, irrespective of their crimes—a situation some California lawmakers are currently looking to legalize in their own state.

According to KWLM, in debating the legislation, Republicans had wanted the added stipulation that those convicted of serious crimes first complete their probation before regaining the right to vote. But Democrats insisted that individuals have their voting rights restored immediately following their release.

‘Driver’s License for All’

Meanwhile, the “Driver’s License for All” bill (pdf), which was approved in a 34-31 vote, specifies that an applicant for a “noncompliant” license or identification card “is not required to demonstrate United States citizenship or lawful presence in the United States.”

While Democrats had argued that the measure would make roads safer, Republicans raised the concern that illegal immigrants and potential terrorists could exploit the law to vote and fly illegally, and sought to amend the text to prevent that.

“What in your bill prevents that terrorist from coming to Minnesota, getting a driver’s license, and getting on an airline and committing a terrorist act?” Republican Minnesota state Sen. Glenn Gruenhagen asked his Democrat colleagues, per KWLM.

Democrats countered that applicants would be required to provide documentation, including proof of identity, to obtain an identification card but Gruenhagen dismissed that argument, noting that such documents could be forged.

The “Restore the Vote” bill was sent to Democrat Gov. Tim Walz for signing, but the “Driver’s Licenses for All” bill will need to be reapproved by the House first due to changes made in the Senate.

The governor has indicated that he will sign both bills into law.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.