September 20th 10:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., Neighborhoods Organizing for Change or Hope Lutheran Church

The Restore the Vote Minnesota campaign will be hosting a rally and door knock on Saturday, Sept 20^th in Minneapolis and St. Paul to talk with community members about this campaign.

Every fall, Americans have the opportunity to exercise one of our must fundamental and sacred rights, the right to vote. This is a right that so many of us hold in high esteem. We proudly display I voted stickers and praise Minnesota’s high voter turnout. However, a day which so many of us look forward to is a day of exclusion and silencing for over 63,000 Minnesotans who have been convicted of a felony. In Minnesota, we disenfranchise over 50,000 of these Minnesotans even after they have left prison or jail and are living in our communities, and a disproportionate number are people of color. The Restore the Vote MN campaign wants to change the law so as soon as someone is released from prison or jail they are eligible to vote.

Join the campaign to knock doors in North Minneapolis and on the East side of St. Paul to talk with voters about restoring the vote, ask them to fill out action post cards (which will be sent to their legislators and the Governor), and to register people to vote.

More information can be found here.

The Ruth S. Shur Fellows team is comprised of 28 dynamic and dedicated volunteers from across the country who were selected from a pool of candidates to support state coaching teams in mentoring local Leagues in recruiting and engaging members and the community to make our democracy strong and vibrant. Read about each of our unique and talented National Coaches below.

To be considered for a position as a Ruth S. Shur Fellow, you must be nominated using the online nomination form. Self-nominations are welcome. Nomination forms must be completed and submitted by Friday, September 19, 2014.

To fill out the Ruth S. Shur Fellow nomination form, click here.

We previously posted a letter submitted to Joseph Mansky, Ramsey County Elections Manager, requesting extending the hours for early voting. See Mr. Mansky's response to our letter below.

League of Women Voters Minnesota has announced it's fall moderator training schedule. Voter Service Workshops are split into two separate workshops to better suit the specific interests of members. Attendees can choose to attend Event/Forum Planning training, Moderator training, or both. Locations include St. Cloud, Park Rapids, North St. Paul, Crystal, and newly confirmed: Red Wing! Moderator training will be offered in Northfield/Cannon Falls in late September/early October. Reminder that you have to be a League member to attend these trainings.

Visit lwvmn.org for more information or to register for training.

Moderator Training:

• 8/16, 1:30 - 4:30 PM, St. Cloud
• 8/23, 12:45 - 3:45 PM, Park Rapids
• 9/13, 12:15 - 3:45 PM, St. Paul
• 9/20, 12:15 - 3:15 PM, Crystal 

Event/Forum Planning Training:

• 8/16, 10:15 AM - 1:15 PM, St. Cloud
• 8/23, 9:15 AM - 12:15 PM, Park Rapids
• 9/13, 8:45 - 11:45 AM, St. Paul
• 9/20, 8:45 - 11:45 AM, Crystal

Sherri Knuth of the League of Women Voters (LWV) Minnesota submitted a letter on behalf of LWV Minnesota and LWV St. Paul to Ramsey County Elections Manager Joe Mansky requesting additional in-person absentee voting hours for the 2014 general election. See the letter below that was sent to Mr. Mansky on July 15, 2014.

________________

Dear Mr. Mansky:

League of Women Voters St. Paul and League of Women Voters Minnesota together request that Ramsey County provide additional in-person absentee voting hours on the two Sundays prior to the November 2014 general election.

As you know, no excuse is required for voting absentee in the 2014 elections and a much greater number of absentee voters is expected. According to the county’s website, Ramsey County will provide expanded hours for in-person absentee voting on the two Saturdays preceding the general election and will be open until 7 p.m. during the week before the election. We appreciate these expanded hours.

We request that the county provide additional in-person absentee voting hours the two Sundays preceding the general Election Day. We make this request for the purpose of ensuring adequate office hours so that both voters and election offices have a positive experience given the increased number of in-person absentee voters.

Additional hours will also assure voter access. Sunday hours would provide access for those who mark Saturday as a holy day, those who work on Saturdays, and those who must use Sundays to do errands.

We appreciate the ongoing efforts of Ramsey County and its Elections Department in ensuring that voters have access to the ballot and that the integrity of Minnesota elections is maintained.

Sincerely,

Hally Turner                                           Susan Sheridan Tucker

President                                                 Executive Director

League of Women Voters St. Paul      League of Women Voters Minnesota

One benefit of League membership is the chance to be a part of the organization's long, rich history of protecting voter rights, engaging communities through education and outreach, and the progress made through advocacy. As part of my tenure as President of the League of Women Voters St. Paul, I want to highlight some of the fantastic stories from our local league.

Nick Harper, a newly elected board member, spent a significant amount of time researching our local league story. Nick read old Voters, rifled through a seemingly endless number of digital files, and topped the research off with a trip to the Minnesota Historical Society. The product that came of his hard work is a fantastic brief history of the League of Women Voters St. Paul. Read the narrative below.

________

In 1868, a recommendation to amend the Minnesota constitution by striking the word “male” as a requisite for holding office reached the floor of the Minnesota House of Representatives. The bill was met with laughter and immediately tabled by the men of the House. It wasn’t until 1875 that Minnesotan women were allowed to vote in any capacity, but only in local school elections. And it took until 1897 before Minnesotan women were allowed to vote in library elections and hold library offices. Progress was far too slow, and in response, St. Paul women began to form women’s interests groups such as the Ramsey County Suffrage Association and the Woman’s Welfare League of St. Paul, predecessors of the League of Women Voters (LWV) of St. Paul.

On March 24, 1919, the National American Woman Suffrage Association met in St. Louis, Missouri, at which Carrie Chapman Catt, president of the Association, called upon the attendees to “raise up a league of women voters.” The same day, Minnesota enacted legislation to allow women to vote in presidential elections. Responding to the need to educate the expanding electorate in Minnesota, Cornelia Lusk and Jane Burr founded the Ramsey County League of Women Voters in November 1919.

During the ’20s and ’30s, the League held day-long schools to instruct voters on the mechanics, history, and value of voting. In 1947, the Ramsey County League of Women Voters closed its doors, and a large portion of its membership became the League of Women Voters of St. Paul. In 1948, LWV St. Paul published “You are the Government” which sold over 17,000 copies its first year. LWV St. Paul published similar documents for decades, including the most recent version, “Guide to Government” in 2013. During the ’50s, LWV St. Paul published several other pamphlets and successfully lobbied for fair employment practices to become state law.

Over the decades, LWV St. Paul has studied several environmental, local governance, and civil and constitutional rights issues and petitioned for changes to policies and practices. LWV St. Paul’s most recent work includes a 2009 Housing Report study observing the causes and effects of mortgage foreclosures, government actions on affordable housing, and recommended policies and practices. LWV St. Paul was also instrumental in the defeat of a voter ID referendum in 2012 that would have disenfranchised hundreds of voters. Today, LWV St. Paul continues to embody civic virtues of engagement and activism. Become part of history by joining the League of Women Voters of St. Paul today!

We've been working on telling our LWVSP story. Our most recent endeavor brings LWVSP into the 21st century. What do you think of this timeline in progress?

LWVSP is hiring a Candidate Forum Coordinator for the 2014 elections! Please click below for more detailed information:

Forum Coordinator Job Posting 2014.docx

The League of Women Voters will once again participate in Give to the Max Day, a 24-hour giving marathon. In 2012, Give to the Max Day inspired more than 53,000 generous donors from Minnesota and beyond to give $16.3 million dollars, shattering previous event records. This year two donors, one to a nonprofit and one to a school, will be randomly chosen every hour to have $1,000 added to their donation. As a participant in Give to the Max Day, the League of Women Voters of St. Paul has a chance to win one of these additional donations. Be sure to visit GiveMN or use the widget below to donate to LWVSP by November 14, 2013.

To learn more about Give to the Max Day, visit GiveMN.org for details.