Clean Elections Minnesota is a non-profit, non-partisan group of Minnesotans concerned that the power of Big Money, Dark Money, and Corporate Money is overwhelming the public interest in local, state, and national elections. We're dedicated to educating ourselves and others about ways to maintain and enhance the democratic power of ordinary citizens. Follow us on Twitter (@CleanMinnesota) and like us on Facebook.
To contribute online, click the donate button. To donate by mail, make a check payable to Clean Elections Minnesota and mail to Clean Elections MN Treasurer, 227 Walker Ave N., Wayzata, MN 55391. If you're in a retirement account and old enough to be subject to an annual required minimum distribution (RMD), you can reduce your taxable income by having all or part of the RMD sent directly from your retirement account to Clean Elections MN (or any other organization whose donations are tax deductible).
What a sobering week! The hearings on the January 6th attempted insurrection have revealed just how close we came to losing our democracy because of the nefarious plotting of former president Trump and his enablers. Plus more testimony by former enablers who stood up for democracy at its darkest hour. The hearings this week included gut-wrenching testimony from elected officials who have been subject to abuse for refusing to abet the former president’s anti-constitutional schemes, and from citizen poll workers who have been targeted for death threats and home invasions because the former President falsely accused them by name of fraud. For the first time in our long history, the peaceful transfer of power was disrupted by the loser of a fair, clean and decisive election. Even worse, the effort continues in “a slow moving coup” attempt. Fortunately, leaders of both major parties are speaking out against this assault on American laws, democratic institutions and civil order. We can all help–we MUST all help–and this week’s Action Alert & News Update includes specific ways to act–by contacting our leaders, signing up to work at the polls in the fall, and joining in a new campaign to build a multiracial democracy.
Now available: the June-July Issue of the Clean Elections Advocate. Featured in this issue: Announcement of the national “Senior to Senior” campaign to encourage older voters to register young voters–a project of “Third Act,” a Bill McKibben venture to harness the expertise of the “over 60” crowd; Analysis of the “little red box” strategy some Democratic campaigners are using to sneak around the restrictions on collaborating with Super PACs; Reprint of founding member George Beck’s LET promoting the virtues of ranked-choice voting as a solution to extremist victories in primary elections; A review of Dionne and Rapoport’s book 100% Democracy promoting “civic duty voting”; And an editorial by Ron Bardal explaining the deleterious implications of the recent SCOTUS decision in Cruz v. FEC that allows unlimited reimbursement of a politician’s personal campaign loans after the election.
We encourage all friends of democracy to join us on July 23 from 6:30 – 8:00 pm at Columbia Park for the launch of “We Choose Us,” a collaborative campaign mobilizing to build a multiracial democracy. Speakers include Governor Walz and Secretary of State Steve Simon.
Register now: bit.ly/wechooseustwincities
Clean Elections Minnesota is part of this exciting new campaign along with Minnesota Voice, LWVMN, Fair Vote, Isaiah, the 100% Campaign, Barbershop Black Congregation, Cooperative of ISAIAH, Jewish Community Action, New Justice Project, and others! What does a thriving, multi-racial democracy mean to you? Join We Choose Us on Thursday, June 23rd to share your story and hear from others, including our special guests.
To start 2022 right, Clean Elections MN sponsored, along with a host of co-hosts, a live Zoom and Facebook event, “Protecting Our Vote” January 12. Special guests Senator Amy Klobuchar and Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon responded to questions crafted from registrants and presented by moderator Dave Hage, a Pulitzer Prize winning former Star Tribune reporter and opinion writer. A recording of the conversation is available here:
Minnesota’s elections received high praise from the Senator and the Secretary of State, but there is room for improvement; for example, Minnesota could establish a complete system of automatic voter registration, adding to the current “opt in” when applying for a driver license. Secretary Simon alluded to Minnesota’s nation-leading voter turnout–80% in 2020–as evidence that Minnesotans trust the security and reliability of our elections. The Senator described efforts in Congress to pass bills to protect our vote against efforts to subvert it. At the end, Simon and Klobuchar asked viewers to stand up for the integrity of our election process in Minnesota and against attempts to intimidate election officials and volunteers at the polls. You can also see the process from the inside and serve your community by signing up to work as an “election judge.” Learn more at the website of the Secretary of State: https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/get-involved/become-an-election-judge/. Students age 16 and 17 can also sign up to serve as trainees. Great idea for high school civics classes.
The webinar was hosted by Clean Elections Minnesota with co-hosts Minnesota League of Women Voters, Common Cause Minnesota, RepresentUs MN, American Promise MN, Plymouth Area Indivisible and IndivisibleMN03, Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing. (CART and ASL Provided)