Your rights, rules at Minnesota polling places – Albert Lea Tribune

Authors: Cathy Wurzer and Gracie Stockton

If you come to the polls wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat or a T-shirt with Vice President Kamala Harris’s image on it, you will not be allowed within 100 feet of the polling place.

Minnesota, like many states, has laws prohibiting political attire, buttons and signage in and near active voting sites. Campaign organizers and activists cannot distribute leaflets or accessories related to candidates; nor can they encourage or dissuade people from voting for or against a candidate or issue.

In 2018, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidated a long-standing Minnesota law prohibiting voters from wearing partisan attire at the polls. Minnesota then essentially tightened the statute, Jason Marisam, an associate professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, told MPR News on Monday.

Under the First Amendment, “we certainly have freedom of speech and we want people to be able to express it, but when it comes time to cast a ballot in this sacred place for democracy, voters should be able to do so peacefully, without any interference,” Marisam explained.

Under state law, only election judges, people actively or waiting to vote or exit pollsters are allowed within 100 feet of a polling place. Media representatives may contact voters during interviews beyond this limit. Some government officials, such as employees of the Secretary of State’s office or the county auditor’s office, may be at polling places. Working election officials must wear an identification badge.

Ballots are also supposed to be secret, meaning the Secretary of State discourages photographing ballots. Capturing other people in a photo violates their right to privacy. However, there is no law against photos.

Voters can bring notes, even on their phones, or a sample ballot as an aid.

Last spring, state lawmakers approved the Minnesota Voting Rights Act, providing voting rights protections. The decision came at the urging of Secretary of State Steve Simon and other supporters after an appeals court ruled in 2023 that only the U.S. attorney general could enforce provisions of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. There were concerns that the ruling this may negatively influence voters of color from exercising their rights.

Minnesota recently passed new laws to protect election workers from intimidation and harassment. Moreover, people convicted of crimes but not serving a prison sentence can also vote. Minnesota also allows same-day voter registration with an ID.