LWVSP's Voter Services Committee met at the Highland Park Library in St. Paul on April 13, 2025.  Seventeen members attended.

We were joined by Melanie Hazelip, the Outreach Director for the Minnesota Secretary of State's Office. She presented briefly on statewide data from Minnesota on the 2024 election. For example, in 2024, about 62% of Minnesota 18-29 year olds cast a ballot. This is similar to data from 2020, which shows Minnesota leading the nation in youth voter turnout. Minnesota ranked second only to Wisconsin in overall voter turnout.

Melanie also talked with us about the SAVE Act. As some of you may know, this voter suppression act -- that is how the League sees it -- passed recently in the U.S. House of Representatives. It now goes to the Senate for a vote, but the timing is unclear at this moment. If passed into law, the SAVE Act would require all people who register to vote to present either a birth certificate or passport in person to register. This places an undue burden on many Americans, especially of lower income, who do not have access to these documents or the ability to replace them easily. Read the National League's response to passage of the SAVE Act by the House.

Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota's 5th Congressional District (Minneapolis) had this to say about the SAVE Act: “This voter suppression bill will disenfranchise millions of voters, especially married women.” Married women who change their names would no longer have a legal name matching their birth certificates, requiring them to obtain additional documentation. Furthermore, getting a passport is financially prohibitive and a document that many people may never need.

Registering in person could potentially disenfranchise some rural voters as well who might have to travel long distances to register. Similarly, seniors and many disabled folks, who use a mail-in registration process, might  be prevented from registering because of how distant registration places are from their homes. Watch a video of Minnesota Secretary of State Simon talking about the SAVE Act recently.

At our April 13 meeting, we also discussed potential voter registration activities developing this spring.

• At this point, we have one high school inviting us to register students at their Cap and Gown event.
  
• We are continuing to offer our services to all SPPS high schools .
• We are in touch with senior communities to find out what events - educational or voter registration - they might want us to provide this spring or summer.

There are only a few things on the ballot in Saint Paul this coming November, so our voter registration activities will reflect that fact this year. However, our committee will continue planning other ways to connect with schools, senior communities, and other venues during this time. 

If you would like more information, don't hesitate to reach out to Pamela Mercier and Chris Schnieders, Voter Services Committee Co-Chairs.

In Autocracy, Inc., Anne Applebaum argues that modern autocracies are forming a collaborative, transnational network united by a shared desire for wealth and power with no liability. These regimes, including Russia, China, and Iran, actively support each other through sharing propaganda techniques, trading surveillance technology and weapons, and laundering money across borders, often exploiting the vulnerabilities within democratic systems.

Applebaum reveals how this “Autocracy, Inc.” undermines democratic institutions and values globally, not through formal alliances, but through pragmatic, transactional relationships. She emphasizes the role of enablers within democracies – lawyers, lobbyists, and financial institutions – who support the wealth and influence of these autocratic powers. The book serves as a stark warning and a call for democratic nations to recognize this interconnected threat and to develop strategies to defend their values and institutions.

Our group talked about what is happening in our country that sounds so much like what Applebaum wrote about. For years, Russian oligarchs have owned U.S. properties purchased from Donald Trump. Billionaires are getting richer every day while the average American is just getting by. So many people believe in conspiracy theories and don’t have the ability to know if what they are hearing is true or false. Applebaum writes that some people are attracted to conspiracy theories. Billionaires have much more say in our government than ordinary citizens, with the power and the financial resources to influence elected officials. As a country, we are far too dependent on trade with China, Russia, and other autocracies. Any change will require international cooperation.

Applebaum also has a podcast on rising autocracy in the United States: Anne Applebaum Podcast: Autocracy in America

Morning book club meets at 10:00 a.m. at the Highland Park Library, 1974 Ford Parkway, St. Paul.

Monday, April 28 ~ 2-4 PM ~ Rotunda, Minnesota State Capitol

A healthy democracy is fueled by healthy communities, and active participation from its citizens. As the MN Legislature considers where to direct state funding, this rally will bring together Minnesotans of all backgrounds to share our desire for healthy, strong, informed and civically active communities, where everyone belongs. We will hear from community members, advocates, and state leaders on important issues that are affecting families, learn how federal and state funding work together to support essential services, and take action with our elected officials.

Let’s stand up for a healthy democracy by supporting the health of our communities, our environment, and our next generation of leaders - and continue to build a strong legacy for ALL Minnesotans.

We’ll hear from speakers on a range of topics including:

• Access to Medicaid and Essential Services

• Access to Affordable Housing

• Access to Food

• Access to Clean Water & Air

• Access to Freedom of Speech & Civic Engagement

• Access to Voting Rights

RSVP at this link!

In March 23's Star Tribune, Michelle Witte, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Minnesota, co-published an editorial entitled "Try as the Trump administration might, it can’t erase women." Click here for the gift link to read this important piece in full.

"Words like females, feminism, pregnant person, women and underrepresented — terms that describe the health and life experiences of women — are disappearing from federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control.

But we will not be erased."

We're delighted to share with you the gift link to a profile of veteran LWVSP member Marion McCarthy, aka, "Marion the Librarian," in the March 30 issue of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

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"McCarthy, still an avid reader at 97 years old, was again excited Friday when she received her first Minnesota library card from St. Paul Public Library’s Mobile Library when it visited Episcopal Homes, the senior living community where she lives in St. Paul’s Midway.

“Marion the Librarian,” McCarthy called herself, a nod to a character in the classic Broadway show 'The Music Man.'"

This year, International Women’s Day fell on a sunny late-winter Saturday. The Minnesota League of Women Voters co-sponsored a rally at the Minnesota state capitol to protest unlawful and unconstitutional actions taken by the current administration in Washington, D.C.

LWVSP members were there in force, including Amy Perna, who’s also the Associate Director of the Minnesota League. Amy was one of the event’s featured speakers; she stressed the League’s non-partisan commitment to equality, democracy, voting rights, and the U.S. Constitution.

If there was an event that you wanted to attend but were unable to, check out LWVSP’s YouTube page, where we archive all Zoom events for later viewing.

You can catch our previous three Learn with the League events:

• January 2025: From Escape to Leadership: 50 Years of the Hmong in Minnesota
• February 2025: St. Paul Vitality: Arts Lead the Way
• March 2025: What a Difference 100 Years Makes! Epidemics Then and Now
  

On March 27, Twenty LWVSP members gathered at the Hallie Q. Brown Center to review, discuss, and come to consensus on key items for the national League’s study on the Federal Judiciary. The conversation was informed, lively, and revelatory. We await the final official position from LWVUS, which will be released in June. We hope that the report is ready for distribution by our LWVSP Annual Member Meeting on June 9.

Were you unable to attend the consensus meeting? Here is a sample of the conversation. "Thinking about stare decisis and the stability of the law, Citizens United will soon be (if it isn't already) settled law due to the length of time since the original ruling." Needless to say, this and other statements led to spirited discussion. It was a very good conversation.

Members who were unable to attend but still want to review the preparatory materials can contact Patrick Finnegan at lwvstpaul@lwvmn.org for the links.  

LWV leaders at the state and national level are speaking out clearly and decisively about the unlawful and unconstitutional actions of the Trump administration, including Trump's astonishing executive order on elections. Click on the links below to read their statements in their entirety.

In a statement released on March 26, LWVUS CEO Celina Stewart declared "Let’s keep it real: this order is not about protecting elections; it is about making it harder for voters — particularly women voters — to participate in them... The President continues to overstep his authority and brazenly disregard settled law in this country. To be very clear — the League of Women Voters is prepared to fight back and defend our democracy." Added Marcia Johnson, Chief Counsel for LWVUS, "The President can’t unilaterally change election law... This order is not only an attack on American voters’ fundamental freedom to vote, it is also plainly unlawful."

Here in Minnesota, LWVMN Executive Director Michelle Witte co-authored an op ed piece with American Association of University Women Minnesota president Kelsey Waits, published in the Star Tribune on March 23. The authors describe the Administration's attempt to erase women, people of color, and other groups from online federal agency content. "Words like females, feminism, pregnant person, women and underrepresented — terms that describe the health and life experiences of women — are disappearing from federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control," they explain, adding, "But we will not be erased."

For the March Learn with the League program, “What a Difference 100 Years Makes! Epidemics Then and Now”, our featured speaker was Dr. Mike Osterholm of the University of Minnesota, who will gave his insight into the recovery phase of Covid and shared thoughts on how to plan for future events.

To view the program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4Wa_gvhw7Q

Dr. Osterholm is Regents Professor, McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair in Public Health, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, a professor in the Technological Leadership Institute, College of Science and Engineering, and an adjunct professor in the Medical School, all at the University of Minnesota. In November 2020, Dr. Osterholm was appointed to President-elect Joe Biden's 13-member Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board. He is the author of the New York Times best-selling 2017 book, Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs, in which he not only details the most pressing infectious disease threats of our day but lays out a nine-point strategy on how to address them, with preventing a global flu pandemic at the top of the list.

Some mentioned items:

Osterholm Update podcast: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/osterholm-...

2025 Minnesota Senate Bill 2669: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/text...

• Senate Health and Human Services, hearing 3/27/25 starting at 8:30 am.